Checklist
by TardisBlueMermaid
Summary: We make checklists for ourselves, and society makes them for us, but sometimes you must learn when to follow them and when to break them. Ariel and Eric need to learn to stray from the checklist life society has set for them, while the maid, Sofie, has her own list to follow, or perhaps escape from.
1. Chapter 1: The New & The Old

**Chapter 1: The New and The Old**

The grandfather clock chimed loudly in her sleeping quarters, waking her up. Sofie rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut tighter, hoping that by doing so she would fall back into her deep sleep, wrapped in the warmth of her covers and her sweet dreams. The clock stopped chiming and, at last, she opened her eyes, knowing she could not fall back asleep, but she chose to lay there a bit longer. What use was there to get out of bed? Today would be the same as yesterday, and tomorrow would be the same as today.

No, Sofie had to get up. Not even once could she could slack off. If she learned anything, it was that you had to work hard to get what you want. While her life might be boring and repetitive now, her day would come. She just had to be patient to reach her goals.

Getting out of bed, she changed out of her nightgown and into her gray maid's uniform, perhaps the only thing duller than her day.

After collecting herself, she headed out of the apartments and down the dirt road. It was a short walk to the manor she served at, but it was long enough for her to gather her thoughts and go through her checklist, the only thing that gave her purpose to survive the day. It was the only thing that made her believe her life could one day turn around, and all she had to do was complete the items on the list. And that she would do. She would see to it.

Once Mr. Schultz's house came into view, she saw many men outside and wondered what was going on. She could not remember of any type of event or visit scheduled for the day. Brushing it off as something last-minute, Sofie continued up the path to the glamorous manor.

She was almost to the front door when she was stopped by a man, presumably one of high reputation judging by his clothes and demeanor. Never once looking up from the papers in his hands, he only asked for her name.

"Sofie Lauritsen, Sir. May I ask what's going on?"

"Mr. Schultz passed away last night. His property will be sold, but he wished to provide his servants with other jobs," he replied, flipping through the papers. "You, Miss Lauritsen, will be reporting to the castle, one of the lucky few I suppose. I'm sure the royals will be happy to have you. Mr. Schultz must have thought you did fine work."

Sofie smiled. The castle? That was the position she felt as though she needed and had hoped for years, but one does not simply go to work at the castle if they hoped for a respectable job. A decent job that wasn't carried out in the damp basement and shadows of the castle had to be earned on the outside. While she was rather upset with Mr. Schultz's passing, as he was rather kind to her, she was glad this new opportunity had arisen.

Finally, she could check an item off her list.

* * *

Ariel ran her fingers along the spines of the many books that were on one of the many library bookcases. There was so many of them, she couldn't possibly pick one to read and learn something new from. Sometimes, the hundreds of books sitting on the shelves in the massive library almost seemed more taunting to her than any person ever could be. Ariel hated they caused her to spend more time searching the shelves then reading them.

She came to a shelf that held a whole collection about nature. She studied them before coming to the conclusion she was not interested in the study of bees today.

The door opened and she turned around to see her husband walk in. Eric smiled at the sight of her and she stepped down from her stool and walked into his open arms.

"And what are you up to today?" he asked, although he already had an idea what she'd been up to. It wasn't like she would be doing anything other than learning from the books in the library, as she passed some time.

She shrugged in response. "I was looking for something to read, but I've been unsuccessful so far."

"Hmm, well perhaps you can help me look for a book. I need to brush up on some history," Eric suggested.

"Okay," she agreed, already heading over to where the book might be found.

Together they scoured the wooden shelves, looking high and looking low, but before they could declare victory, a knock at the door interrupted them. Eric summoned the person, and in came a young messenger boy.

"Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesties, but I have a letter with important news for you," the boy handed the note to Eric.

"Thank you, Jacob," Eric took it in his hands and began to read it.

Ariel looked over his shoulders to read, too. "What does it say?"

"Mr. Schultz has passed away. I'll have to send word we'll attend the funeral. He was a good man."

"Such a shame," Ariel responded, shaking her head. She knew he had a heart filled with kindness.

"It says here they're sending over the best of his servants to work here," he said as he handed the letter to Ariel.

"Carlotta and I were just talking about how we could use a couple extra staff."

After setting down the letter, they continued with their search until, at last, they found a book that could provide Eric with the information he needed.

Standing on a stool with Eric's hand on her back to insure she did not fall (something that happened before when she grew too excited over a book), Ariel grabbed the book and handed it to Eric. He kissed her forehead in return when she stepped back down to her natural height. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile.

Eric took a seat to begin skimming the book so Ariel continued on with her search. She stared at the collection of books in front of her. Perhaps there was something good in that section.

The shelf that was level to her eyes held books about military tactics or battles in past wars, the shelf below it had the history of medicine, and the next one down had some miscellaneous topics. Just as she was about to move on to the next shelf, she spotted one that piqued her interest. Never before had she heard of this topic.

Ariel pulled the book off the shelf and sat down on the sofa next to Eric. " _The Massacre of 1822,"_ she read the title out loud. "What was that?"

"Oh," Eric closed his book and set it to the side. Teaching Ariel was always more interesting than teaching himself. "Well, it wasn't the proudest moment in our history. There used to be a village just to the west. It was hit harder with poverty than the rest of the kingdom after the war because their biggest income was from farming, but so many farms were destroyed during the fighting. The villagers started growing upset my father was doing nothing to help them recover. They began protesting against it and once it escalated out of hand, my father sent in the military to put them down. The whole village was gone after that."

"They killed and burned the whole village?" she asked, flipping through the pages. "Couldn't they try to compromise?"

Eric shrugged. "Like I said, not our best moment. I don't think my father ever earned his reputation back after that."

Ariel looked closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She had no more interest in reading it. It seemed as though that massacre should stay on the shelf and in the past.


	2. Chapter 2: At the Castle

**Chapter 2: At the Castle**

Sofie loved her new maid's uniform much more than her old one.

Her previous one had been a dull gray, but this one was a sharp contract of white and black. They were lovely colors.

There were four other girls from the manor being transferred up with her. Sofie hoped they would be working on the other side of the castle away from her. In truth, she did like any of the staff she used to work with. She would always hear them whispering about how she was always so distance, when, in part, it was because of them that she rarely spoke to them. They were irritating.

She played with the fabric of her white apron as she went through her checklist and waited. The head housekeeper was to show them around the castle and assign them duties. Sofie hoped her tasks would not be dreadful, but that they would be something she could use to prove herself a harder worker.

Oh, she was so excited to start the day.

Finally, she could hear footsteps coming towards them. In fact, she could hear two sets. Much to her surprise, she looked down the hall and saw not just the head housekeeper, but also the queen.

The other girls squealed in excitement after see their idle approaching them, only to try to hush themselves. Sofie rolled her eyes. That was no way to make a first impression.

The two women stopped in front of the girls and the maids curtsied before their queen. She was the first to speak.

"Good morning, ladies. I'm very glad to have you here," she smiled. Sofie figured that it was warm enough. She wondered if Queen Ariel was nicer than she imagined.

The queen continued with her speech. "Mr. Schultz sent you here because he determined that you were the best of the best. I expect much from you, but I have no doubts you will deliver. Carlotta here will take care of you. I hope you enjoy your first day." With that, she smiled and left.

Carlotta turned towards the girls. "First things first, girls, I want to show you around. We can't have you getting lost in here, can we? It's not hard to do in such a large place..."

* * *

After introducing herself to the new maids and ensuring that they were in good hands―which of course they would be as long as they were with Carlotta―Ariel made her way down to her husband's study to pay him a visit. When she left him earlier he was trying to review some paperwork.

Opening the door to the she found Eric intensively reading, brow furrowed, one paper held up slightly in front of him, and three more in his other hand as if he was looking back and forth between them. He looked up once he heard the door open and smiled. "Hello, darling."

"What are you reading?" Ariel asked as she pulled out the chair in front of his desk.

He pushed them to the side and brushed them off. "Boring stuff. What have you been up to?"

"I just met the new maids. They seem nice."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "If you just met them, how can you be so sure they're nice?"

"Well, I mean they looked presentable, they had manners, and since they got promoted they must be respectable ladies and hard workers. Besides, I am a good judge of character," Ariel explained, very confidently.

"That's debatable," he replied with an eye roll and laugh, obviously referring to her many adventures that went wrong.

She shook her head. "That's all within different scenarios. These are just maids!"

"Whatever you say, darling."

Ariel smiled sweetly back at him before leaning back in her chair, and with an exasperated sigh declared, "I'm bored."

I'm sure you have some things you could be doing instead of just sitting in here," Eric said as he straightened up the papers on the desk.

She shook her head. "I know, but I'm not the type of bored where you have nothing to do."

"Ah, I knew it was just a short time before my little mermaid gets bored with the quiet, castle life,"

Eric jokingly commented. He knew his wife, and he wasn't upset with her for feeling that way.

"It's just that, we've been so busy lately. I know I should only feel tired or stressed with all of it, but I don't. I just feel bored. And I don't hate doing any of it; I rather enjoy being queen, but," Ariel looked up at her husband, "aren't you bored too?"

He shrugged. "I suppose you could consider it boredom. The duties of being king have really been creeping in more and more over the past year."

Ariel nodded. "Yeah, it seems like the further we get from our wedding, the more we have to dedicate our time to, leaving us with less time to do things for ourselves. And Neptune knows everyone is waiting for kids to come along. Then, I won't be able to do anything for months."

"Well, they say parenthood is an adventure."

"You're right," she replied with a smile as she thought about her future. It was promising, everything planned out for her already, yet, she felt as though something was missing. "But promise you'll make the time to take me on a picnic to our favorite hill soon?"

Eric leaned forward and grabbed her hands in his, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "I promise. You know I'll do anything for you."

* * *

'Isn't the castle just magnificent!" one of the maids exclaimed.

"It is! It's much lovelier than the manor," said another. "Don't you agree, Sofie?"

Sofie nodded, still looking straight ahead as they walked to their new sleeping quarters within the castle. She wished the girls would stop talking to her.

The two girls looked at each other. That would be a typical answer from Sofie. From the moment she arrived at the manor, none of the girls had been able to get her to open up to them. Instead, when they asked her a question, they would only receive a simple reply, and, of course, they never received anything about her upbringing and background. Needless to say, they all thought she was strange, but Mr. Schultz had liked her determination. They wondered if he ever took notices of her strangeness. If he had she would have never been brought up to the castle.

"Surely this place deserves much more than just a nod."

"The details everywhere, and the decorum, and the large ceilings! It's stunning!" said the other maid. "What girl wouldn't be interested in its beauty?"

"I'm just interested in working," Sofie replied as she took off in her own direction. The beauty of the castle, no matter how stunning it might be, would never be as important to her as staying focused on completing her checklist.

As she walked away, the other maids stopped and chatted among themselves. "She is as strange as could be."


	3. Chapter 3: Sunny Afternoons

**Chapter 3: Sunny Afternoons**

Luckily for Sofie, the bothersome maids from the manor did not have the same duties as her―they were instead stuck in the kitchens. Unluckily for Sofie, she was stuck doing the laundry. Most of her days would consist of washing linen after linen after linen in the laundry room, except for the lucky moments when she got to escape the laundry room to collect the dirty laundry.

But while the other girls from the manor were not with her, there certainly were other laundry maids around. As she washed her linens at the wash basin, at least six others would too, gossiping while they worked.

Throughout the day they gossiped about everything and anything. No superiors would scold them to quit talking and get more work done. In fact, the housekeeper encouraged them to talk and become friends. "These will be the women you will work with for time to come," she had told them.

However, Sofie had no interest in becoming friends with women who she could hardly connect with, and she certainly had no interest in their gossip. Besides, there was no guarantee what they were talking about was true. No, the real gossip came straight from out there, among the officials and royals, not from some maids with nothing better else to do.

She couldn't complain, though. She knew things took time, and at least things were now moving in the right direction for her. Sofie could feel her goals getting closer, but she wasn't sure how long they would take to accomplish; things had to be done carefully.

"Sofie?" her name was called by one of the other maids. "What on Earth are you busy thinking about?"

She shrugged as she continued to wash a shirt in the warm water. "Nothing much."

The other maid put her hands on her hips. "Well, you have to be thinking of _something_."

Sofie instead didn't reply. She rinsed out the garment and took it over to hang on the line. As she was doing so, she heard the other maids continue to talk about her.

"She's a quiet one."

"Do you think she's okay?"

"I wouldn't bother with her."

* * *

The mid afternoon sun shined brightly upon the couple. Eric had paperwork do be completing, but instead, he could resist the idea to fulfill his promise to Ariel that afternoon.

As Eric finished packing up the last of their finished meal back into the basket, Ariel laid her head down in his lap. She breathed in the fresh air and smile. "We should be spontaneous more often."

Eric smiled, knowing his procrastination was worth it, but he knew he still had responsibilities that would never leave him. "I wish we could, but you know how difficult it is."

She sighed. "I know, but we can always try, right?"

"We can always try," he nodded.

Sitting back up after a few minutes, Ariel looked off into the far distance. She could see the woods at the bottom of the hill, but making up most of the view was the sea where the waves lapped against each other in a rhythmic motion. "What do you think is out there?" she pondered.

"Where?" Eric asked, looking out, but not understanding exactly where she meant.

"Out there," she pointed straight ahead.

"The ocean?"

Ariel shook her head. "No, silly. Past it. What lays past the horizon."

"Land of course," he replied.

"What land?" she inquired further.

"Probably England if you sail a straight course."

She made a face of disgust. "England is all stuffy." Ariel pointed in another direction. "How about that way?"

"You could hit the Netherlands."

"Hmm. Where's France?"

"Farther in that direction. You'd have to go through the English Channel. Why?" he asked.

"Some of the ladies were talking about how beautiful the landscape is there," she explained.

Eric nodded, already knowing where she was going with this. "It is rather pretty."

"Can we go there?" Ariel asked, eyes wide in hope.

"I would love to, darling, but it don't think we'll be able to make it there anytime soon," Eric informed her. "We just have too much coming up and we would need a _diplomatic_ reason to go on such a sudden trip."

Ariel nodded in disappointment. "I know," she said, letting and old, white dandelion blow off into the air. Perhaps it would make it to where she wanted to go.

* * *

Sofie walked over to the clothesline with her basket of wet clothes that needed to be hung. Walking away, she could still hear the loud chatter coming from the maids. Sofie rolled her eyes, finding the other maids' conversations pointless, meaningless, and downright annoying. They didn't know what was really important in life.

Perhaps it would be best if she tried to at least be a bit more friendly with the others, but she couldn't bring herself to try. For most of her life she could never connect with people, whether she just didn't want to or she simply couldn't, she wasn't sure, so now she found no point in trying when she was already so used to being alone.

Needless to say, she was glad the maids ignored her now, only speaking to her if they had to, or, on occasion if they found her worth their time, to bother her. Other than those instances, it was almost as if she was invisible.

Sometimes she felt hurt by it―she always had, whether it was during her time at the manor or even back as far as her time in the orphanage―that others had friendships while Sofie was invisible and alone. There were times she knew she hated the maids simply for that fact, but she always brushed it off. She liked being invisible, and was well aware that the reason she was on her own was because she wanted to. It was her choice, so she would carry through with it.

Besides, it was hard to move on from a lonely life. Sofie thought that she would be lonely for the rest of her life, which, of course she would be, just as long as she never let anyone get close to her. All she was focused on doing was taking care of herself.

She rolled the line so the sun could then take the wetness out of the clothes. The lonely maid almost wished that the sun would take her away from there, or perhaps for it to fade away and leave nothing but a dark shadow over everyone, not just her as it always seemed to be, but she could not have such thoughts. She had a job to do.

Despite her better judgement, Sofie stopped her work for just a moment to stare out at the courtyard below. In the warm sun she watched as two women of nobility, guests of the castle, strolled through the yard. She watched as their conversation grew, and then, once they reached a joke or humorous observation, they stopped and laughed, clinging to each other as though they were the best of friends. Sofie rolled her eyes. Surely they did not have to laugh that loud. It only disrupted the peace of others.

Growing increasing bothered by the noise that only grew louder, over what was probably nothing funny at all, Sofie walked away. Some people could be so inconsiderate.


	4. Chapter 4: A Small Escape

**Chapter 4: A Small Escape**

"Mr. Bech, could you take care of these?" Eric tiredly asked, handing the papers over to the adviser. "Just deliver them. There's no need to do anything else. I have a pounding headache and have to go lay down."

The man nodded, watching as the young king rubbed his temple and squinted in pain as if the light was too much for him. No doubtfully the early morning meetings had gotten to him. "I'll take care of them, Your Majesty. Just go rest."

"Thank you," Eric said before heading out of the office and towards his room, rest just a staircase away from him. Not long after exiting he saw Grimsby. Giving him a bright smile and a cheery wave, he passed him without a word.

Grimsby, noting that Eric was headed the wrong way, questioned him. "And where are you going, my boy?"

Eric looked back, but continued walking. With his thumb he pointed down the hall. "To go lay down. I have a headache," he said, almost too excitedly.

"Eric!" Grimsby called him back, causing the boy to stop in his track. He saw Eric release a sigh before walking back towards him. Once Eric was in front of him, he continued. "It doesn't seem like your headache is severe. Are you sure you _need_ to lay down?"

"Of course," Eric replied. "You never know if it's going to get worse."

The old man shook his head. "Eric, you have work to finish."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Grim. I have everything taken care of and there's nothing urgent I have to worry about at the moment. Just let me have this afternoon to spend with Ariel."

"If you must," Grimsby replied. There wasn't much else he could do to get him back to work. While he wished that Eric would be more productive, he certainly had made an improvement compared to when he first got married. Both of them, in fact, had taken upon their duties rather well. Still, there was one duty they had yet to fulfill. " _But_ , take this time to consider how the people are still waiting for an heir, rather impatiently, if I might add. You could be productive yet today."

Eric blushed at what he was implying. "I know. I know. We've talked about it, but it's a big deal, having a kid, and Ariel doesn't want to be tied down for nine months. You know how she is."

"It's also a big deal to secure the royal line. Think about what would happen if something happened before you had an heir."

"I'm not worried about it," Eric confessed. "I have a cousin or two who don't have a major title. I'm sure they would be happy to become king."

Grimsby shook his head. "Then there wouldn't be a _smooth_ transition of power. You must think of your people first."

"I know," Eric said with a sigh.

* * *

Eric had finally made it up to his room without anyone else stopping him to pester him about having children. He walked in to find Ariel already sitting on the bed, waiting for him. She smile upon seeing him, glad he had successfully faked a headache.

Kicking off his boots, he laid down on the bed next to her. With a sigh, he began, "I would have been up sooner, but Grimsby was bugging me about an heir."

"A lot of people are," she replied, almost as if she was brushing it off as if it was not an important issue. Quite frankly, she did not feel like dealing with it at the moment.

There was a silence between them before Eric asked the question that had nagged in the back of his mind as he walked up to their room. "Do you regret marrying me?"

Ariel looked up at him, confused. "Why would you even ask something like that? I love you more than anything."

"It's just that, you like to explore and go on adventures, but with me, you're stuck here, in this castle, surrounded by rules and pressure from society. Our life doesn't revolve around us; it revolves around the kingdom. You didn't have to marry me. You could have found someone else, someone who had the freedom to take you wherever you want to explore the human world."

"You don't understand," she began to try and erase his absurd thought. "I had to marry you because I love you. Even if we could never step foot out of this castle, I would have married you. I never would have become human if it wasn't for you. If I hadn't fallen in love with you, I would have just stayed as a human-obsessed mermaid for the rest of my life. Your love was all I needed, so no, I don't regret marrying you. I'm happy beyond words that I married you."

He smiled at her, relieved that she didn't regret marrying him, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Eric still didn't feel better, though. "I just can't help but feel like I'm holding you back."

"Well, I don't feel like you are," Ariel shook her head. "I feel like you gave me everything I ever wanted."

"Even if you don't get to go off exploring whenever you want?"

"I suppose that is the one thing I wish I could do, but most people can't do that. Besides, we still get to see so much of the countries, much more than a lot of other people get the opportunity to, even if there is lots of politics involved in our trips," Ariel explained. They laid there a little bit until she spoke again, deciding there was a matter that had to be taken care of. "And I suppose I am excited to give the kingdom an heir because when we have a new, little prince or princess to dote on, I can teach it all I've learned over the past year and a half."

"So, you're ready?" Eric asked.

She nodded with a smile. "Only if you are."


	5. Chapter 5: A Laundry Maid

**Chapter 5: A Laundry Maid**

"Save some clothes for the rest of us, Sofie. You don't have to wash them all."

"It's not like I have anything else to do," Sofie replied, shrugging as she rinsed the soap out of a skirt, not looking up from it as she spoke.

"Well, I for one would rather do anything other than this," said the other maid, stubbornly throwing her garment into the basin with a small splash and placing her hands on her hip.

Another added, "I wish that I was a noble women and didn't have to have a care in the world."

"I wish one of the guards would fall in love with me," the maid to Sofie's left chimed in, dreamily. "Then, I wouldn't have to work anymore. He would care for me."

All of the maid giggled in agreement at the thought of one of the guards taking notice of them, except for Sofie. She only rolled her eyes.

"Sofie," began one of the nosy maids after seeing her eyes roll. "Is there perhaps a boy in your life?"

She shook her head. "I don't have the time for that."

"You don't have the time for love?" the maid scoffed. "What else are you going to do than get married? Become an old hag?"

"A woman's job should not be to get married," Sofie replied. She was determined to do things her way, without someone intervening, and she had felt tied down for the longest time already by men. "Besides, I have my own things I have to accomplish before I can even think about marriage."

"Well, if you want to accomplish anything right now, do be a dear and go collect the laundry from the bath house. I don't believe that was ever collected this morning."

Sofie dried off her hands before making her leave. As she walked out of the room, she could hear them return to their conversation about the guards after a moment of silence. She was no idiot, and knew very well that the other maids only wished to get rid of her to carry on their conversation without her lingering about. Perhaps, the laundry in the bath house was just a ploy to get her out of their hair for a few minutes and there was no laundry to collect. She hoped that wasn't the case, not wanting to be wasting her time.

* * *

Luckily, the other maid had been correct; there was laundry in the bath house that needed to be collected. Sofie had been relieved at the sight of the pile, glad she did not have to face the embarrassment of being fooled.

There were a few other people there―a maid mopping up a small puddle of spilled water and another folding clean towels and placing them in the linen closet. Off to the side she spotted Carlotta tending to some of shampoos and soaps.

Sofie passed her as she walked over the pile located next to the long table that held the varieties of soaps. Bending over to pick up the basket, she heard Carlotta speak to her in a warm and friendly tone. "Good morning, Sofie."

The young woman was surprised; few people ever remembered her name if she was of no importance to her. The housekeeper had no reason to know Sofie's name since she was just another one of her countless maids. After brushing off the surprise and turning to face the housekeeper, Sofie smiled. "Good morning, Ma'am. I'm just here to collect these."

"Oh, thank you, Dear. I was about to take them down myself," the housekeeper thanked.

"It's usually Mary's job to collect them, but I suppose she forgot," Sofie replied, even though she knew the laundry probably wasn't forgotten. It didn't matter though. The walk to the laundry room was a good reminder to her of what was important, and it was rather nice to run into the housekeeper.

Carlotta sat down the bottle of soap she was holding. "Yes, I wish some of the girls were harder workers, but at least they get the work done."

"From my experience, there's always going to be people like them. I don't care, though, just as long as they don't give me too much extra work," Sofie commented.

The housekeeper laughed. "I'm very thankful for all of the work you do. I'm glad you got transferred here."

"I am, too," Sofie said. The housekeeper would never know just how much she meant that. She shifted the basket to rest on her hip before taking off. "I better get these back so I can wash them."

"Have a nice rest of your day," Carlotta gently touched the maid's shoulder as she walked past her.

Sofie looked back at her with a smile. "You too!"

* * *

It was only the next morning when Sofie saw Carlotta again, and she brought good news for Sofie.

She had only been working at the castle for a few weeks, so the maid hadn't been expecting it yet. She had been concentrating on scrubbing the dirt out of a shirt when she heard a collection of "Good morning, Ma'am," from within the room. After looking up, she saw Carlotta in the doorway.

"Good evening, ladies," she offered back to the maids. Then, with a warm smile that told Sofie she wasn't in trouble, Carlotta added, "Sofie, may I please speak with you."

Taking her hands out of the water, Sofie dried them on her apron with a smile as she headed towards the exit, towards her opportunity. Behind her, she could hear the other maids muttering:

"I bet you she's in trouble."

"Probably stole something."

Sofie kept walking away, her smile towards Carlotta only growing brighter. She would show them.

Carlotta took her down the back hall just enough to be out of earshot from the maids in the room. "A vacant spot has come up that needs filling, so I need you to take up parlor maid duties. You're just the kind of hard worker who can do great maintaining this castle," she paused for a moment while she leaned in and gave a wink. "The other maids will just have to learn to do their own work."

Sofie smiled. "Thank you, Ma'am I'd be happy to."


	6. Chapter 6: A Parlor Maid

**Chapter 6: A Parlor Maid**

It was Sofie's first time as a parlor maid on tea duty. While she hated serving tea back at the manor because it always turned into such a dull event where all the guest talked about was politics, Sofie suspected that serving the queen and her guests tea would not leave her to listening to just politics.

Not long after setting up, the queen's guest arrives, followed shortly by the queen herself. Sofie carefully poured tea for everyone and then stood off to the side, ready if they needed her.

The ladies drank their tea and talked among themselves. Some of their conversation was interesting, other parts not as much. Sofie almost felt bad for eavesdropping, but she could not help the fact that her position was right within earshot.

She tried to keep her eyes straight ahead, but failed as something shiny on the floor caught her eyes. It laid just a few inches away from where the queen sat. She strained her eyes to make out the object before realizing that it was a diamond earing. Looking up from the ground, Sofie looked at the queens ears. One held an expensive, diamond earing, an exact match to the one that currently laid on the floor, while the other was bare.

After deciding the best thing for her to do, she picked up the earing and placed it in the pocket of her apron for safe keeping. No one had seen her do so, and she did not want to interrupt their conversation, so she waited until tea was finished.

Eventually, the ladies were finished and rose from their seats. Before the queen left the room, Sofie pulled out the earing and handed it to the queen. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I believe your earring fell out. It was laying on the ground next to your seat."

Ariel looked at the earring in surprise as she felt her earlobe. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, taking it and putting it back on. "The back must be loose. I'll have to get it fixed. Thank you…"

"Miss Lauritsen."

"Thank you, Miss Lauritsen. I appreciate you returning it to me."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Sofie went about straightening up the large parlor. While dusting the shelves she took notice of papers that looked as though they were hastily thrown upon the table. She straightened them up into a neat pile and placed them in the corner of the table for easy access for whoever had left them.

Then, Sofie took notice of books that were simply thrown on the table next to the book shelves. They were old books that looked as though they should be taken care of properly. She moved books to the side of a half-empty shelf before carefully picked up the old ones that were laying out and placed them on the shelf.

Looking around after that job was done, she spotted the grand piano that sat over in the corner of the room. Music sheets were strewn everywhere, some on the piano bench, a few on the keys, most were on the sheet stand, about ready to fall off, and two had even fallen to the floor. It seemed as though whoever was using them was sorting through them, but couldn't find what they were looking for. Sofie picked up the two from the floor and then went through each piece of music to organize them into a neat folder.

She was nearly done when she was startled by someone walking into the room. Looking up she saw the queen.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Sofie said as she shut the folder of music and stepped back, curtsying. "I was just finishing up in here."

"Don't worry about a thing. You were just doing your job," Ariel said. She looked over at what the maid had been doing. "You cleaned up my music sheets?"

Sofie looked over at her work and then at the queen to try and read any emotion on her face. She hoped that this wouldn't upset her.

Ariel walked up and opened the folder, flipped through the music sheets. "You even organized them by composer. Thank you! I've been meaning to do that!" she exclaimed, happy with the work.

Sofie was glad she had done an impressive job. In fact, she had worked in _two_ impressive acts for the day. "Your welcome, Ma'am."

"Please, just call me Ariel when there's no one else around. You've helped me out a lot today, and I hate formalities all the time. Is that okay…" Ariel trailed off as it she was waiting to be told Sofie's first name.

The maid hesitated for a moment before deciding it was okay. The queen really wasn't what Sofie though she would be like. Queen Ariel turned out to be a lot friendlier, which, of course, was not a bad thing. That would be quite nice for Sofie.

* * *

Overall, Sofie enjoyed being a parlor maid much better than being stuck in the laundry room. It was so enjoyable to be away from the gossip soaked room that was filled with the other girls' pettiness. Rarely did she ever have to have interaction with the other parlour maids. Working in solitude was what suited her best.

At the end of the day, though, she still had to return to the servant quarters. Thankfully the other maids in her quarters were usually too tired by days end to bother her. They would simply climb into their beds and fall fast asleep. Most nights, this would leave Sofie to be the last one awake, when she could lay in her bed and think.

Despite having this little piece of her life work actually go the way she wanted, Sofie still wasn't satisfied. She was still waiting for the day when had and accomplished everything she wanted, what she felt she needed to do, but she had to wait until she was in the right position to do so.


	7. Chapter 7: Friendship

**Chapter 7: Friendship**

There were a few times Sofie ran into Ariel and they would share a small or small laugh, but perhaps the most promising and heartfelt moment happened just three weeks into serving as a parlor maid.

Sofie went about her afternoon straightening up the library. It was a job that she did not enjoy much; the library was rather large. Lots of dusting needed to be done on the shelves that contained the most boring books that were rarely ever picked up, and oftentimes she would find books simply laying around. It would be up to perform the tedious task of finding their rightful spot on the shelves. She was nearly done that task when a welcomed distraction happened.

"Hello Sofie," Ariel greeted. She, of course, had seen the maid venture into the library a few minutes earlier, but decided that she would wait a few minutes before entering with the only intention of starting up a conversation. "I just want to grab a book. Please don't stop working."

"I won't get in your way, Ariel" Sofie stated, although for once she didn't feel like a bother. She also did not mind referring to the queen by her first name. In fact, it became an important part of their relationship.

Ariel skimmed the book case for the book she didn't really want as she skimmed her mind for what she could use to begin a conversation with Sofie. Then, she spotted the globe in the corner of the library.

She walked over to it and gently spun it around. Her fingers dragged along the surface as the world spun around until, at last, the friction from her finger had caused it to stop and land at its destination: France. Ariel moved the globe around to see the other locations nearby.

"Sofie, have you ever been out of the kingdom?" Ariel asked curiously.

The maid paused her work to respond. "No, Ma'am. I haven't"

"Do you wish you would one day?"

Sofie thought over the question, never having asked it to herself. "I suppose one day I would like to see other places. That might be nice. For now, though, I have some things I have to finish up here at home."

"I've accompanied Eric to a few other countries. Some are more exciting than others, but it's definitely worthwhile to go exploring."

"Which places were your least favorite?" Sofie asked.

"I don't enjoy England too much. They choose to stick very close to tradition and formalities, and it rains a lot there," Ariel said. "Oh, and Russia."

"Is it too cold there?"

"I don't mind that. It gives me extra time to wear my winter fashions, but Eric has… a strained relationship with the Czar. Here," she said, moving over in the sofa and patting the seat next to her. "Sit down. It's a long, but interesting story."

"While I'm sure it is, I really have to finish dusting these shelves."

"Nonsense. They look fine to me."

* * *

Ariel had told Eric that she would meet him in the library. The room had always been the perfect place to wait for each other in because of its massive shelves of entertainment and secrets, and for its location in the center of the castle.

He had expected to find Ariel passing the time by reading a book, but, instead, as he approached the room, he heard the laughter of two girls, one of them recognizable as his wife. Did she have company over that he had forgotten about? Opening the door a little and peering inside, he found the other girl only to be a maid.

He watched as his wife laughed with a bright smile. "Ever since it's like we have to dodge broken glass whenever we go. It's rather stressful."

She seemed at complete ease with this maid, almost as if she was one of her well-known companions. He was glad to see her happy.

Eric opened the door completely and walked in. "So sorry to interrupt, ladies, but I didn't want to wait out in the hall all day."

Sofie jumped to her feet and curtsied before the king. "You're Majesty," she said before turning to the queen. "Thank you for the story, Ma'am."

"I enjoyed your company," she said, rising as well. "But you don't have to go yet."

"I- I would like to stay, ma'am, but I do have other work I must complete before the days over," Sofie excuse herself, picking up her duster and exiting the room immediately.

Ariel sat back down, defeated, and Eric took a seat next to her. "Oh, let the girl get her work done."

"I know," Ariel sighed. "But she's really sweet, and more interesting to speak to than some of the women on my court."

"When is Miss Hampshire leaving?" Eric asked, referring to Ariel's current lady's maid. As a lady's maid, Miss Hampshire also served Ariel as friend.

"End of this week."

"Did you pick a replacement yet?"

She shook her head. "I haven't officially asked anyone yet, but I want to ask Sofie."

"She's still rather new, though, isn't she?" Eric asked. If he was correct, she was one who came up from the manor just two months earlier.

His wife shrugged. "I suppose, but Carlotta likes her. She said that she's a really good worker. Besides, I didn't even know Miss Hampshire when she was assigned to be my lady's maid. As long as Carlotta trusts her, I trust her, and I have to reason not to."

"But do you think she'll say yes?" he asked. Eric though Sofie came off to be nervous.

Ariel nodded. "I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to take the position. It will get her away from all the other maids she mentioned not liking. I think she hates them because she's more suited for a higher, more responsible position. She'll be much happier as a lady's maid."


	8. Chapter 8: A Lady's Maid

**Chapter 8: A Lady's Maid**

That morning, Ariel had a task that she could not wait to perform, but first, she had to find Sofie. It was nice, her being a parlor maid, because she could often find the maid alone, straightening up a room, allowing for a private conversation to take place, something she had sought out many times in the past few weeks.

One thing Ariel loved about Sofie was how easy she was to talk to. Of course, it was still on the level of a maid speaking to her queen with formal addresses slipping through here and there, but Sofie was more willing to speak with her queen in a friendly way than the other maids around the castle. Sofie would listen with fascination about Ariel's life as a mermaid while Ariel would listen to her tell the tall tales she heard Mr. Schultz tell back at the manor.

At last, Ariel had found Sofie, tidying up a room. The maid turned around once she head the queen walk in and smiled. "Good morning, Ariel."

"Good morning, Sofie," Ariel returned. "May I speak with you on an official matter?"

Sofie put down her cleaning cloth. "Of course."

"My current lady's maid recently got engaged. She'll be leaving me at the end of the week," Ariel started. "So, I need to find someone to take her position, but, of course, it can't be just anyone."

Sofie smiled. The queen was finally going to ask her to be her lady's maid, a position Sofie had hoped for since she first started working as a maid. It was a respectable position.

"You're an excellent worker," the queen complimented. "And you always go above and beyond, but most importantly, you're very kind. I just adore talking with you. You don't have to take me up on the offer, but I hope you will."

"I would be glad to," Sofie accepted. She remained calm and collected, recalling how the other maid would squeal in excitement.

"Thank you!" Ariel exclaimed. "Now, I'm sure you already know what the position is. Miss Hampshire will meet with you later and go over your duties in more detail. You won't have to wear a maid's uniform anymore. You can wear any nice dress you wish, accessories are not necessary, just have a nice hairdo."

"I don't have any other nice clothes."

"I have some old dresses you can have," Ariel suggested.

Sofie protested against it. "No, Ma'am, I mustn't-"

"I insist. I certainly don't wear them anymore and they're nothing too fancy. There's no harm done. Just wear them until you can buy some new ones," Ariel explained. "We can go to my room now and pick some out. Miss Hampshire will be there to help."

Sofie shrugged. "As long as it's okay with you."

"Of course it is," Ariel said excitedly as she led her off to her room.

* * *

The two arrived to the bedchambers. Walking in, they found Miss Hampshire, as expected, along with the king. He was rummaging around drawers while she was also looking around the room for something.

She spotted the two ladies who just walked in. "Ariel! You need to tell your husband to stop losing things."

"What did you lose now?" Ariel asked, walking towards Eric, leaving Sofie by the door.

"Some note cards," he replied. "I swore I left them in the top draw of my nightstand, but they're not there."

Ariel walked over to open the drawer he was talking about. She moved some things around and pulled out the cards he was looking for. "These?"

"Yes. Thank you," he smiled, taking them.

"Oh, Eric, Olivia, Sofie agreed to be my next ladies maid!" Ariel exclaimed, gesturing over towards Sofie. The maid gave a small smile when the attention was shifted towards her.

"Congratulation," Eric offered.

Sofie rung her hands and looked down at them as she searched for a response for the king. "Thank you."

"Olivia," Ariel began, "I'm giving Sofie some of my old dresses to wear. Can you help us collect them? Then, we can take them to her new room. Carlotta already told me which one it is."

She nodded. "Of course. I would love to."

The three women moved into Ariel's dressing room. Sofie's eyes, having never been in it before, grew wide at the massive amount of dresses and garments that it held. Despite all of them looking wonderful, she couldn't help but wonder, were they all really necessary to own? Her eyes then shifted to the little pile of casual dresses that Miss Hampshire was walking towards. They were going to be hers.

"It's just a few, but they'll be enough until you can buy your own with the extra money you make. You might even be able to get the seamstress to make you a couple," Ariel explained.

Sofie reached out and touched the fabric to find them soft and made of the most wonderful materials―material she never thought would ever touch her skin. "Thank you."

"Let's get these to your new room. Carlotta said you can move in as room as you're ready," Ariel said, picking up a dress. Miss Hampshire then stopped her, leaving the rest for her and Sofie to carry.

They carried out the dresses and headed towards the door. "I'll meet you in a few minutes," Ariel told Eric before leaving.

"Okay, Love," he responded, watching as the trio left the room

He was glad, that Miss Lauritsen had said yes to Ariel's offer, seeing how happy it made Ariel. Still, he had hoped that she would have gotten to know her a bit better before making the decision. Of course, she did have to make a pick sooner rather than later, but she could have picked another maid she had been acquainted with longer.

Eric knew he was overthinking things a bit, but a lady's maid had complete access to the queen. He recalled when Carlotta first told him she was picking out a lady's maid for, at that time, his fiancée. He asked her over and over that she was the right choice, wanting to make sure that the maid was trustworthy. This time, Ariel had talked it over with Carlotta, so he supposed that Miss Lauritsen was a safe choice.

And this was the first time Ariel got to pick a maid for herself, so he had to respect her choice. A smile came to his face when he thought about how excited she was that morning to do so.

* * *

Sofie's new bed was grand and currently covered with her new dresses. Her room itself looked marvelous. Having a room to herself was the best perk of being a lady's maid.

"I think you'll look wonderful in all of these," Ariel complimented, looking at the dress.

Sofie pick up a light orange one. Holding it in front of her, she looked into a tall mirror on the wall. The maid smiled. She supposed that she would look pretty in them. That would be a nice touch to her job.

"Yes, I quite like them," she responded. "Thank you again."

Ariel walked over to her and, to Sofie's surprise, hugged her. "Thank you for doing this for me. Now, I have to go. Olivia will give you all the details of the position."

Olivia nodded and smiled as the queen walked out of the room. She turned towards Sofie and began to explain and they made their way back to the queen's room.

* * *

"You must be very organized. Log everything that goes in and out of this room. We can't have any of her garments getting lost within the castle or stolen," Miss Hampshire told Sofie as she walked out of the dressing room and towards a vanity with numerous hair tools laying upon it.

"The queen's hair must always be perfect and changed with each new outfit, if she wishes. At the very least it should be fixed each time she changes. I'll leave my recipes for her hair products behind. You'll have to go into town to acquire some of the ingredients, but they work wonderfully on her hair."

Sofie nodded. She was willing to do anything in order to make the queen happy.

Hampshire continued. "In the morning, a chambermaid is permitted to enter after the queen leaves for breakfast. She must not be in the room when the chambermaid comes, but you must. You have to watch her like a hawk, to ensure she steal nothing."

"How often will she come?" Sofie asked.

"However often you see fit," Hampshire answered. She looked Sofie dead in the eye. "Now, I've heard some things about you. I sure hope they don't ring true."

Sofie shook her head. It was typical that would come up. "They're all untrue rumors."

"I suppose. Jealousy does occur from the lower staff, but I've been hearing them before you've been promoted," she said. "It is peculiar that you're unable to find friends among the ladies of your rank, yet you're able to so with the queen."

A smile grew on Sofie's face. "Yes, funny how that can happen."

* * *

Later that night, Sofie made her way to her new room, glad to not have to go back and sleep with all the other maids. It was later than when she was used to retiring, but she had lost most of the morning and was still determined to get her work done. She couldn't slack off now.

While finishing up her work, a smile was etched on her face, as she was excited to begin this new job. Finally, something went right in her life, and things would become worthwhile. She would have respect and her goal accomplished. The hard work was behind her now.

Sofie saw Carlotta walking towards her. She wanted to smile even brighter when she heard the housekeeper call her name, but she suppressed it.

"Congratulation," said the housekeeper. She winked. "I just knew Ariel would pick you."

"Thank you, Mrs," Sofie beamed.

"Oh, enough of that. You don't see to me anymore. I'm just Carlotta to you now."

"Of course." smiled Sofie. Word was getting around of her new position, and she couldn't be happier. Finally, she had a chance to show she wasn't just some lonely girl anymore, and when the time came, she would prove it to everyone else. That she, in fact, was capable of wonderful things.

She walked into her room. Every time she entered her new room, Sofie was reminded of the new-found excitement in her like, of the reminder that she was, in fact, special, and of her success.

Of course, she couldn't call herself successful quite yet.


	9. Chapter 9: The Poison in our Lives

**Chapter 9: The Poison in our Lives**

"You've done a wonderful job this week," Ariel said as Sofie placed a simple clip into the queen's hair. "I'm glad I picked you."

Sofie smiled. "I'm glad you picked me, too. It's an honor."

Ariel rose from her seat. Turning around, she smiled and took Sofie's hands in hers. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd have to do your hair yourself."

"I would," Ariel laughed. "I have to get down to breakfast. Eric's waiting."

"Have a good morning. I'll see you later," Sofie said as she watched her employer leave the room.

She turned her attention back to the vanity to neatly straighten the brushes and hair accessories. Picking out the excess hair left in the brush she recently used, she tossed it into the wastebasket.

Sofie then looked at the vanity and sat down before it to properly look at herself in the mirror. She smiled at the sight of her in a pretty dress. During her darkest times, she never thought she would see herself like this.

Covering her mouth, she yawned again, the sight of her in the mirror temporarily lost as her eyes were forced. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she brushed aside some brushes and rested her head in her arms. Sofie had no intention to fall asleep. She simply wished to rest her tired eyes for just a few moments.

* * *

" _Papa! Papa!" the girl screamed. She ran through the chaos, not stopping to take a look at her surroundings, but yet, despite trying to shield her eyes from the violence, she had seen too much for such a young mind. In the small glimpses she caught, she saw people everywhere- some were the guards, the others, her friends and neighbors. She assumed most of the bodies that laid on the ground, unmoving and covered in blood, belonged to the latter._

" _Sofie!" she heard a familiar voice._

 _She stopped and looked around, hoping to find him. "Papa!" she called back._

 _Suddenly, a guard then grabbed Sofie by the arm. She kicked him and shrugged him off, taking off again in search of her father. At last, she found him._

 _He embraced her. "We must go."_

" _But where?"_

 _Her father opened his mouth to reply, but instead of words, all that came out of his mouth was blood. She looked down at his stomach. A sword was sticking through it, just inches away from her own. Tears formed in her eyes._

 _The sword was pulled out, and Sofie saw the ice, blue gems that decorated it's handle. Then, she saw her father fall to his knees before collapsing completely to the ground where he laid on his side and grasped his stomach, the life already fading out of his eyes right before her. Sofie tried to kneel next to her father, to beg him to stay alive, but the guard behind the girl grabbed her by both of her arms._

" _Let me go!" she screamed and kicked, but was unable to break free like the last time._

 _A guard on a horse then approached. Despite it being clear that he had no sympathy for what was going on around him he ordered, "Don't hurt her, now. The king said he wants no child hurt. She'll go to the orphanage and be raised_ _ **right**_ _."_

" _Yes, General," the guard said as he began pulling her away._

" _Papa!" she screamed, but her voice was lost in the flames that engulfed the village._

* * *

"Quit sleeping on the job!"

Sofie jolted awake after feeling a hand shake her. She became aware of her surroundings, noting that instead of in the memory of her past, she was slumped over the queen's vanity. The feeling of sleep was still fresh in her eyes.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" said the old chambermaid who came in her allotted time. Sofie was supposed to be watching her.

She shook her head, but there was a smile on her face despite her tiredness and mistake. She was up late getting ready for this day, and then she was so excited she could hardly sleep. How could she when everyone would be _thankful_ for her by the end of the day?

"Well, I suggest getting more sleep," the chambermaid warned. She then headed over to do her tasks, mumbling, loud enough for Sofie to hear, "Lousy excuse for a lady's maid."

Sofie nodded, the smile still etched onto her face. She cockily spoke, knowing she finally had power in her hands, to the maid to ensure she wouldn't speak a word of this. "Yes, and it would be a shame if I happened to see you try and steal a piece of jewelry right from under my nose, wouldn't it?"

* * *

Later that day, the royal couple walked hand in hand into the dining room, just like they always did. The last bits of sunshine were shining through the large windows, signifying the end of a day. Despite her misgivings with sunsets, she knew that things would restart the next day, even more vibrant and filled with possibilities than the previous. There could not be sunrises without sunsets.

They walked to the large dining table where a salad was already waiting for them. Eric pulled out his wife's chair for her and she smiled up at him. "Thank you."

He smiled as well as he sat down and unfolded a napkin to place on his lap. Picking up his fork, he took his first bite of his salad.

"Do you think we can go sailing tomorrow evening?" Ariel asked after swallowing a bite.

Eric rolled a tomato around in his salad as he thought it over. "As long as the weather is right, I would love to."

"Sometimes," Ariel began, "when we get on a ship, I wish that we could sail and sail and sail, only stopping when we reach someplace new."

Her husband gave an amused smile. "You know, that's exactly what I used to think when I was a young teenager. I used to dream that I would find and unexplored island and never have to come back home to my lessons and all the rules and expectations."

"You don't wish that now?"

"Now, I have a wife to come home to," he gave a dashing smile.

"Well, I'm very glad you come home to me every time," she responded. "But if you do have a sudden urge to sail away and never come back, you have my consent just as long as you promise to take me with you."

Eric smiled. "I would love to, but I don't think that's one urge I'll be indulging in."

"How was that meeting you had today?" Ariel asked, moving the conversation along.

"I'd say it went well," Eric responded, rubbing his temples, feeling the onset of a headache. It had been a long day. "As well a meeting with grumpy, old men arguing can be."

He swallowed another bite of food, only to afterwards be hit with a wave of nausea. The stressful day must have caught up with him and finally given him a migraine. Despite only feeling worse as time went by, he was determined to finish his dinner with his wife and not worry her. He could lay down later.

"I suppose things could be worse..." he heard Ariel comment. Despite trying to pay attention to her, Eric found himself unable to concentrate on her words.

Returning his attention to his food, it only made his even more nausea when he looked at it, but he was determined to act normal. Eric took a small piece of lettuce on his fork and chewed it slowly, practically having to force himself to swallow.

After that swallow, he was shocked to feel a sharp pain in his stomach. Letting out a grunt he had tried to conceal, he dropped his fork as a hand went to the area of the pain. He saw Ariel look up at him with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm just not feeling so well," he responded, trying to not worry her. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Ariel reached over and felt his forehead. "You're getting warm."

"I have to go lie down," he said, rising from his seat, unable to hide his symptoms. He held the sides of the table for stability until his vision came back just enough to see. The dizziness from rising so suddenly did not fade, but he brushed it off as he began to make his way to the exit.

Ariel followed him, a wave of concern washed over her. Something was wrong with him. He had only made it halfway to the door when she watched as he collapsed to the floor. She rushed to his side. "Eric!"

He laid motionless and unconscious on the dining hall floor, breathing heavily. Once rushing to his said, Ariel called his name several more times, shaking him, but he did not wake. Her calling, however, had attracted the attention of the guards stationed outside. Three of them had rushed to his side as well.

"He was fine just a minute ago, but then he started saying he didn't feel well. He just collapsed!" Ariel explained frantically.

One of the guards felt the side of his neck for a pulse. He found a weak one and ordered the guard next to him, "Go send word the king needs a doctor."

The guard receiving the order nodded and did as told, rushing back out of the room while the third guard rose from next to the king to the plate food the king had just been eating. Picking up one of the leaves from the salad, he examined it.

"These leave doesn't belong in a salad," he said, showing it to the queen and other guard. "They're poisonous. I remember seeing them during our last expedition."

 _Poisonous leaves?_ Ariel's hand flew to her mouth, thinking of her own salad. However, she felt perfectly fine, or as fine as you can feel when you learn your husband had been poisoned.

The guard then looked at the queen's dish. "You're alright, Your Majesty. There's none in yours. Whoever added these only wants the king dead. I must say, they do blend in well with the salad."

Ariel pushed some hair to the side of Eric's forehead which was already growing sweaty. She couldn't fathom why someone would want to kill Eric. He was the nicest person she knew.

"Will… will he be okay?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm no doctor," was all the guard had to say.

* * *

Sofie knew she couldn't risk being too close to the action, as much as she wanted to watch her plot unfold. She stayed in the hall, just around the corner. Looking down in her hands at the small bag that once held the poisonous leaves, she smiled.

 _Work at the castle- Check_

 _Get close to the queen- Check_

 _End this dastardly royal line-_ _ **Check**_

Some might say that it was a task too big for just a young girl, but she could now prove them wrong with a job well done.

 **(A/N: I'm sorry to disrupt this hopefully shocking cliffhanger with such an awkward author's note, but I just wanted to mention my lack of creativity when it comes to the "poisonous leaves." There are a lot of different poisons out there, but it's hard to find just the right one. Although I did just make up these leaves, I did do my research. They act similarly to oleander. So, why not just use oleander leaves? Well, I just thought that they didn't look like something that belongs in a salad, and I figured that Eric would be smart enough not to eat suspicious looking leaves. We'll just pretend these "poisonous leaves" look normal.)**


	10. Chapter 10: Aftermath

**Chapter 10: Aftermath**

After collapsing, the guards brought Eric up to his room to wait for the doctor. He had regained consciousness, but just shortly after that, Ariel had been ordered out of the room to allow the doctor to treat him. She never even got to speak with her husband, and she didn't know if she would ever be able to again.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she was filled with hopelessness. Eric meant the world to her and she didn't know what her world would look like without him if the doctor couldn't save him.

Ariel felt a delicate hand on her back. Turning around, she found Sofie, and at the sight of her friend fell into her embrace.

Sofie hugged her despite not wishing for that much intimacy between them, but she knew it would look good. "Everything will be fine," she comforted. "The best doctor is here." But she was told that those leaves should get her job done. The seller seemed confident, so she did, too.

"He has to be okay," Ariel rambled. "He just has to be. I know that… that he might not, but he has to."

Sofie led the mistress over to a nearby bench down the hall. Waiting for the news to come, she put and arm around Ariel, rubbing her shoulders and rolling her eyes whenever Ariel rambled on about how Eric was a good man and how she didn't understand why anyone would do something like this.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity for both of the girls for completely different reasons, they heard the door to the room open. To Sofie's surprise, the doctor had a smile on his face. Did he hate the king too?

Ariel rose from her seat to meet the doctor halfway down the hall. Despite seeing his smile, she was still too afraid to ask whether or not her husband was alive.

"He's fine," the doctor informed her, pausing to watch as the queen left out a relieved sigh. "The leaves he ingested were very poisonous, but with his vomiting and then with us pumping of his stomach, they're out of his system, so he won't die. It's actually a good thing that the leaves are fast acting. His sudden symptoms stopped him from eating enough to kill him. They took quite a toll on him, though, so he'll be weak for a few days. I suggest plenty of rest."

"Thank you!" Ariel smiled, thankful more than ever that Eric was going to be fine. "May I see him?"

The doctor nodded. "He's been asking for you. Although, I doubt he's still awake."

Ariel went into the room leaving Sofie outside with the doctor and the head guard who had just arrived to meet with the doctor. She wanted to scream in anger at the doctor for saving him, but instead, remained sitting on the bench, close enough to hear the conversation between the men.

"I can confirm that it was the poisonous leaves that was used in this assassination attempt," the doctor informed.

"The palace has been placed on lockdown. Everyone will be questioned and check."

To say Sofie was upset was an understatement. She was devastated. This was supposed to be her moment to destroy the monarchy―to destroy the bloodline that killed her father. The king was the only direct descendant left and today was the day he was supposed to be gone. Sofie didn't know that the poison would act so fast that he wouldn't be able to eat enough of the leaves to receive the lethal effects. Her seller should have given her something more toxic, but, she supposed, he probably didn't care whether or not her plan succeeded. He would have to be taken care of too now.

She should have just killed the king when no one was looking. A bullet to his head or a cut to his throat surely would have gotten the job done, but she was well aware of the need to be careful and was not about to get caught. A king is worth a lot more than a maid of any ranking. Luckily, even with the guards planning to check everyone, the poison could not be traced back to her.

Sofie made her way back to her room with the only remnant of the crime left―the bag that had once held the leaves. There was no way to prove that the leaves came from the plain, brown bag, but she would feel better after getting rid of it.

After starting up a small fire within her room, Sofie pulled out the bag from between her breasts and threw it into the flame. She watched as the flames surrounded the brown material, turning it into black ashes. "I'll have you next time," she swore into the red flames.

* * *

By the time Ariel had made it into the room, Eric had already slipped into unconsciousness again, but at least she knew he would wake again within time. She brushed some hair away from his eyes. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

She planted a kiss on his forehead and moved down the bed so she was able to rest her head on his chest. The only thing she wanted to do was to remain close to him. "They're going to figure out who tried to hurt you, and I'll make sure of it. I'm not going to lose you."

* * *

Later that night, after making sure that Ariel was ready for the night, as a good lady maid would, Sofie made it back to her sleeping quarters, thankful more than ever that she had not been caught, even though she knew she wouldn't have been. There was no physical evidence to prove that it had been her who poisoned the king, and she had made sure that no one had seen her. She was out of the picture all together, as she usually was, and she needed no alibi because who would suspect that it was the queen's _friend_ who had tried to murder her husband _?_ Ariel certainly didn't.

The guards in charged had questioned everyone, but there were, of course, those who the queen claimed she _knew_ did not poison Eric because of how close they were to the royals. Sofie had been amongst the list of friends and family.

The maid was very glad that being a lady's maid came with her own sleeping quarters. Not having to share a room with other girls meant that there was no one to hear her cry at the day's end. Except for the night her father was killed, this night was the hardest she ever cried.

Sofie had remained composed while walking to her room, but once she shut the door behind her, her tears blurred her vision and it became too much of an effort to even stand as she left out a sob. She made her way to her bed, trying to not trip over her feet.

Sitting down, she clutched her stomach as she sobbed so hard she felt as though she was going to physically break inside. In that moment, she wished she would die. It's a hell of a feeling―to cry so hard that you want to die. It felt although she had been shot in the stomach, and was now desperately waiting for a mercy shot to end the pain. Sofie felt as if with each sob she made, her life left her, making her hollower than ever inside.

But when had she ever _not_ been hollow and broken inside?

Her crying lulled for just a second after the initial outburst, but did not stop, as she calmed down just enough to take a breath, albeit, a shaky one. She laid back on the bed, her feet dangling off the side, and continued to cry, but none of it was quiet as painful as those first few sobs where all that was bottled up within her came rushing out.

It was not fair. She had told herself time and time again: _all good things come to those who wait._ She had tricked herself into believing that. Sofie knew that good things never came to her, but she had hoped that just once this little phrase would ring true for her.

It did not.

And probably never would.

She had waited years for revenge for her father's death, and when the moment had come to accomplish it, everything was perfectly set up. It would have gone right for anyone―except for Sofie.

Nothing ever went right for her. It appeared as though the whole world was against her. Never had anything gone right in her life. She was always hurdling obstacles while everyone else had it so easy. The royals had it so easy. All the other maids had it so easy. They all had friends, they had families, they had luck, and they had things work out for them. Their goals were always accomplished. Sofie's were not.

If someone had tried to kill Sofie, she surely would have been dead. She had no such luck. But, of course, King Eric had luck. Of course he would survive an assassination attempt.

She had gone through so much for this plan to work. She had worked so hard and suffered the ridicule of others. For years she had put up with the other maids and their laughter of happiness.

Everyone was getting what they _didn't_ deserve. Why couldn't she get what she deserved? King Eric's father had been the one to have to her father killed, meaning that his blood had to be filled with evil, pure evil that, of course, had been passed down to Eric. All Sofie wanted to do was to rid the world of such evil blood to protect others from another massacre and honor her father's memory, while everyone else had petty, selfish goals they did not deserve.

All Sofie wanted to do was to rid the castle of the monster that roamed it, threatening to kill her every time he looked at her.

King Eric's eyes were ice blue, the exact shade of blue as the sword that was used to slaughter her father. Sofie had no doubt that that was a sign that the sword lived within him.

Sofie felt as her tears rolled down the side of her face and into her ears. She had given up trying to wipe them away. There was just too many.

With the smallest amount of energy she could muster up within her weakened body, she crawled underneath her covers, not caring that her expensive dress was still on and would surely be wrinkled in the morning. Placing her head onto the pillow, she turned onto her side and curled up into a ball. Feeling protection from herself, she tried to steady herself. Crying would not get her anywhere, but every time she managed to stop crying, Sofie found herself starting up again with no restraint.

In that moment she, though, despite how defeated she felt, Sofie declared that she would stay and continue what she set out to do, no matter what life told her otherwise. She had to give it a shot, and if, in the end, she could not kill the king, she would do her best to ruin his life.

But she _would_ have him killed, one way or another. His luck had to run out eventually, and every now and then, Sofie would have her own lucky streak.

Even with that reassurance, however, she still could not stop her tears from falling. They only stopped once her eyes had deemed that they were too tired to hold themselves open.


	11. Chapter 11: Hope, Worry, & Anger

**Chapter 11: Hope, Worry, and Anger**

"No, Ariel, really. I'm fine," Eric told his wife for the fifth time. Stuck to bed rest, he was sitting upright in bed, back against the stacks of pillows behind him with Ariel's hand pressed against his forehead. He pushed it away. "The poison is out of my system, so the fever is gone."

She frowned. "But what if it comes back!"

"That's impossible. It can't come back unless I eat those leave again, and I'm definitely never doing that again now that I know what they look like," Eric told her.

"I know," Ariel sighed, knowing she was being a little paranoid. This wasn't like an illness that could suddenly get worse again. Still, nothing could rid her of the shaky feeling that now overtook her. "But, you do know that poison isn't the only method someone can use to kill you, right?"

Eric pointed towards the door. "There are guards stationed out there day and night."

"I'm sorry. Did you not read the newspaper this morning? Someone tried to kill the king!"

He watched as she moved her legs out from under her to stretch them out across the bed and leaned back against the pillows next to him. Weakly, he lifted his arm and placed it around her. "I know, and I have faith in my men that they will find who did this."

Ariel shook her head, on the verge of tears. "But we had the whole castle on lockdown and ruled out everyone."

There was no doubt that Eric was disappointed about that no one had been apprehended yet, but more than disappointment, he felt worried for his life. He knew how Ariel felt. Still, despite the possibility of being attacked again edging at his nerves, he wanted to do whatever he could to ease her fears.

"The person probably escaped before we knew I was poisoned and before the lockdown. The lockdown was more to just collect information. They'll piece it together soon enough and figure out who did this," he explained. "Just give them some time."

"But no one saw anyone of interest leave during that time frame, and no one saw anyone around the food who shouldn't be. There seems to be no lead to find the person who hurt you," Ariel said. While determined to catch whoever tried to kill her husband, she felt as though there might just be no hope in finding them.

Sensing her distress, using the arm Eric had wrapper around her, he began to gently rub her arm to comfort her. "The guards are smart. They figure things out you might think are impossible," he reassured.

Somehow, he doubted his words. Perhaps it was because he wasn't fully briefed on everything they knew so far. He wondered how much Ariel knew, but he wasn't about to press it out of her and make her worry more, so he was glad when she changed the topic and relaxed a bit.

"I told Sofie to bring up some soup for you."

"I'm not hungry," Eric responded. He didn't feel as bad as he did the night before, but considering it was food that made him sick, the thought of eating still made his stomach upset.

"I know," Ariel sighed. "I saw how you only ate half that piece of toast this morning, but you need to get your strength back."

He shrugged, knowing he did want his strength back. "I guess I can try."

"Oh, you will," Ariel said. "Carlotta's coming up to make sure of that."

Eric's head fell back against the pillows. "You're really using Carlotta on me?"

"In times like these, extreme measures must be taken."

After just a few moments, there was a knock on the door and in came Sofie and Carlotta. The latter had the chicken broth and bread she was going to make Eric eat, and Sofie carried a small meal for Ariel since she didn't want to leave her husband's side.

Carlotta sat the tray of food on Eric's lap. "You and I both know that if you want to get out of this bed, you have to eat," she said, handing him a spoon for the soup.

Eric took the spoon and hesitantly ate a spoonful, practically forcing himself to swallow. "I know."

"Oh, I'm just so glad you're safe," Carlotta said, brushing a hand through his disheveled hair. She truly didn't know what she would do if her boy died, and she knew that poor Ariel would be more devastated than ever, which would be a terrible sight.

After swallowing his first spoonful, Eric place the spoon back down on the tray. "Believe me, I am, too."

Ariel picked the spoon up and placed it back into his hand. "But you are alive and now you only have to get your strength back," she coaxed before motioning to Sofie to set her food over on a table. She would eat after she saw that Eric had.

Sofie did as told. "Will that be all?" she asked, instead of suggesting other tasks for the queen to give her. She simply wished to get out of the same room as the king. He might appear weak, but Sofie knew that it could be a ploy.

"That will be all," Ariel confirmed. "Please, come back in an hour."

The lady's maid nodded before leaving. She wasn't sure where she was going as she took off down the hall. She only knew that she wanted to strangle someone or punch them in the face. Seeing them all, doting on such a demon as if he was an angel, only made her angrier that she had not succeeded in her task.

As she turned the corner, she bumped another maid rounding the corner. Sofie made no attempt to move out of the way and neither did the other maid, so Sofie let her shoulder shove into the maid's shoulder, causing her to drop whatever was in her arms.

Sofie found herself at her room. The seclusion was the only thing she wanted at that moment. After slamming the door shut behind her, she forcefully knocked a book that sat on her nightstand onto the floor. She had tried reading it a few nights ago, but it was about a girl who had all her wishes come true. Immediately after knocking the book down, she regretted it once she saw that it had taken a vase of flowers down, too, which now laid as shattered pieces on the floor. Now she would have to clean that up. That was why Sofie rarely acted out in anger.

However, she sat down on the floor, crossing her arms with a frustrated sigh. Sofie knew that the next few days were not going to be in her favor.

But pouting about it was not going to do anything. She had work to do.


	12. Chapter 12: Orders

**Chapter 12: Orders**

Ariel had left Eric later in the afternoon to attend to matters, so Eric used the time to summon up Captain Bruun to give him the details of how the search for a suspect for the assassination attempt. Bruun sat beside the king's bed as he flipped through pages of reports to see if there was anything he forgot to inform the king of.

"Ah," he started, pulling out a paper and placing it on top of the pile in his hands. "I've sent out some men to question a delivery boy. Chef Louis confirmed the boy was delivering a fresh shipment he had requested, but we're hoping that the boy may have seen something. He was here during the timeframe we suspect the leaves were placed, so he could have caught a glimpse of the suspect without realizing it."

"We'll know once the men come back," Eric nodded. He was sitting up in his bed, acting as if he had his strength. He hated that the captain had to come to his bedside to inform him of the investigation, but he knew there was no way he would make it down to his office. The room spun with even the slightest movement of his head, and the simply moving his arm took all of strength he could muster in his weakened body.

It almost angered Eric how he was not contained to his bed. It was as if he was sick child being cared for by his parent, and there was nothing he could do about it. The captain being notably older than him didn't make him feel better either, but he supposed, Bruun's job was to protect him, and he was very thankful for that. He was glad there was someone he could trust with his life.

The captain straightened the piles in his hands. "I wish I had more conclusive information to tell you, Sir."

"It's only been a day. There'll be a breakthrough yet," Eric encouraged.

However, Captain Bruun was not convinced. "That's a possibility, but we should have something more to go one by now."

Eric could hear the sound of heels approaching the room. Glancing at the door, he hoped that Ariel wouldn't walk in, not because he didn't want to see her, but because he didn't want her to be a part of the investigation. This was his problem, and he wanted Ariel to be away from any risk to her life.

The sound of heels grew louder until it began to fade as the wearer passed the room. Eric knew Ariel couldn't have been the one to have just walked by because she surely would have stuck her head through the door to check on him, even if just for a second.

He returned his thoughts to the captain. "Go about any means you feel necessary to solve this mystery. I trust you, but I have one, specific order."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Don't keep the queen informed of the investigation."

"Are you sure?" Captain Bruun asked.

Eric nodded. "I am. Don't give her any specifics. She will asked questions, but I only want you to give her simple answers. Be as vague as possible so she doesn't know enough to get involved. Her life is endangered too."

"Yes, Sir," the captain agreed. "Will that be all?"

"Just capture this lunatic," Eric replied, leaning his head tiredly back against the pillows. "And keep my wife safe."

The captain rose from his seat. "I will try my best," he responded, knowing that keeping information from the queen would be the toughest part of this mission.

* * *

"I am the queen and I demand to know the specifics of this case!" Ariel exclaimed, after asking for the third time to be given details.

Captain Bruun shuffled through papers on his desk, not daring to look up into the queen's glaring eyes. "I'm sorry, but I have strict orders from the king stating that I cannot give you the details of the investigation."

"What does he think, that I'm physically going to go out and hunt this person down? I just want to be informed so I can be on the lookout around the castle, too."

"He believes that the less you know, the safer you are," Bruun responded.

"I'm not the one who was poisoned. Trying to keep me safe means you're keeping the wrong person safe."

"It means we're at least keeping someone safe," he said, looking up. He tossed his paperwork to the side. "Besides, murderers are unpredictable. They can kill anyone at any time, for any reason."

"But we already know that Eric was the target, and I'm sure they're only focused only on him for some God awful reason."

"Ma'am, no matter what, all I can tell you is that we haven't reached a dead end yet. If I were you, I would not give up hope yet. Like your husband said, this investigation has only begun," he replied. Pulling out his pocket watch, he looked at the time before grabbing a few papers off his desk. "Now, if you would excuse me, I have to meet with someone."

Before Brunn could walk very far, Ariel had stepped in front of him, blocking his path to the door. "With whom?"

Captain Bruun sighed. "With someone important."

"About what?"

"Matters about the king," he replied with yet another half answer.

There was a knock at the door, and Bruun called the person in. It was one of his men, one who could help him in his situation. "Ah, corporal, before you take a look at those files, could you please escort the queen out of my office and to wherever she is heading next?"

The corporal nodded. It wasn't like he could disobey an order. "Yes, Sir."

Captain Bruun returned his attention back to the queen, bowing before departing. "Good day, Ma'am."

Ariel watched as the captain left his office, leaving her with no information. She should have known that her husband would have taken this precaution. Captain Bruun was very loyal, and her orders could not overrule Eric's.

However, perhaps there was another way around this.

She turned toward the guard. "Corporal, did the king happen to give you any orders to limit my knowledge of the investigation?"

"No, he did not, Your Majesty," the corporal replied answering the question honestly because he was confused at first. Only after answering did he realized just what the queen was trying to pull. Perhaps the king would have appreciated it if he had lied to the queen about receiving orders.

"So, what can you tell me about the investigation? What do you know? What leads are you following?" Ariel asked, taking a step forward.

The man sighed deciding to go forward with answering her questions. There wasn't anything else he could do, especially since she was ordering him to answer her. "Since whoever tried to kill the king appears to have left before the lockdown, the captain is hoping that a delivery boy saw someone leave the castle within the time frame we suspect they left."

"Will they come back with any information?" Ariel inquired.

The corporal shrugged. "It's hard to say. We certainly hope."

"Have you figured out why someone tried to kill the king? They have to have a reason."

"Initially, we thought that either one of you could have been the target. For all the perpetrator knew, that plate could have gone to either one of you. However, we realized that the dished were not the same. The king's had tomatoes, yours didn't," he explained. "This could be how he knew which dish to target."

Ariel tried to process this. "The killer knew which dish to add the leaves to because I don't like tomatoes? How would they know that information?"

"It's puzzling to us, too. That's why we initially thought it they could have been targeting either one of you, but it's very likely anyone would want you dead. We assume the perpetrator must have checked the chef's notes or was lurking about the kitchen long enough to know which dish to poison."

She inquired further. "Is there a group that wants the king dead? Is this political? Perhaps someone doesn't like a new law?"

"That's what we're unsure of, too. A set of men have been investigating that. The hope is once we learn why, we can learn who."

"Has there been any suspicious activities around the castle?" Ariel asked, think herself about any activities, but it seemed as though everything was normal in the days leading up to the poisoning. She had been so surprised when this had happened.

"No, Ma'am, but if there was, you wouldn't be near it. Like the captain said, we have to keep someone safe," he said, guiding her towards the door and opening it for her. "I know we think this was done by someone who snuck in and back out of the castle, but my personal opinion is that it could have been done by someone within."

They began walking down the hall, Ariel leading the way to where she wanted to go, musing over what the corporal had just said. "Do you really think so? Everyone was checked and questioned. I heard that everyone had an alibi."

"It would explain how they knew the difference between the dishes," he replied. "There could be multiple people working together, too, covering for each other."

"You could be correct, but I still personally think that it was an outside job. Things have just been too peaceful around here for someone to suddenly try and kill the king."

"No matter who tried to do this, Ma'am, listen to your husband when he says he wants to keep you safe, and we'll keep him safe."


	13. Chapter 13: Darkness

**Chapter 13: Darkness**

While brushing out Ariel's hair at the vanity, Sofie glanced over at the king, still on bed rest. Ariel had given him a book to read in hopes that it would take his mind off complaining about being stuck in bed. It didn't seem to be working, though. She gave it to him that morning, but by that night, it looked as though he had only read maybe twenty pages throughout the day.

He had the book open in front of him, but she figured that was more of a ploy to make Ariel think he was taking his mind off of things. Through the corner of her eyes she saw him glance over at the queen multiple times, and it was unlikely that he could even read the words in the dimly lit room.

Sofie moved on to braiding Ariel's hair to keep its madness contained during her sleep. The room was silent as she did so except for the sound of a steady rainfall, but Sofie almost wished that it would rain even harder to kill the silence. The longer the silence persisted, the louder she could hear the voices in the back of her head warning her to be careful of every motion the king made. She still did not feel safe with the king in the same room as her, nor would she ever.

At last she finished the braid and tied it off. "There you go. All ready to turn in early tonight," Sofie said as she blew out the candle that sat on the vanity to provide extra light in the dim room. The dark rain clouds had made it fall dark earlier than other nights. The only light left came from the candles besides the bed.

"Thank you," Ariel stood up and hugged her maid, something Sofie still did not like.

"Of course," Sofie replied, hesitantly returning the hug. She let go then watched as Ariel walked over to the bed. She saw as Eric smiled at Ariel as she sat down. The smile looked evil to Sofie.

"I'm heading out to run a personal errand," she then informed the queen. "I'll be back in an hour if you should need me."

"Okay," Ariel agreed, despite not liking the idea of her friend going out at night, but she couldn't prevent her maid from doing what she wished with her own free time. "Be careful."

Sofie nodded before heading to the door, but before she could turn the handle, she heard Eric chime in, "Try to stay dry. I don't think the rain is going to stop anytime soon."

She rolled her eyes at this, not bothering to respond or look back at him.

* * *

The apothecary shop was just a little ways into town, and because the rain began to taper off, Sofie found herself not as soaked by it as she imagined she would. Still, she wrapped her dark-colored clock around her tighter to ward off the damp air.

A lantern always hung outside the main door of the shop so someone rushing there with an emergency would not get lost in finding their way there at night. The light also served as an invitation, beckoning people who used the cover of the night to get their dirty jobs done. If the guards knew what happened in the back room, the shop certainly would be shut down.

As she approached the door, she watched as an older woman walked out, tucking something under her cloak. Sofie hoped that meant the shop would be empty as she entered. Scanning the shop, she saw that it was just her and the apothecary's apprentice. He was the one who had sold her the poisonous leaves.

The young man recognize her immediately; he gave a smug smile upon seeing her. Setting down the bottle he was holding, he motioned for her to follow him into the back room without a word. He held the door open for her before shutting it behind them. The candles mounted on the wall provided a good amount of light to read the labels on each bottle and package.

" _Miss Lauritsen,"_ he formally addressed her before laughing. "You know, the face of a lady's maid is just as recognizable as her lady's."

She simply nodded with a stern face. The first time she shopped the back room he did not know her identify, but Sofie knew that by now he would have learned of her position.

"I've read the newspapers. They say the king was poisoned by the very same leaves I sold you. Hmm, I wonder who did it?" he taunted.

"If you've read the newspapers then I'm sure you know that the leaves you sold me failed to get the job done," Sofie said.

He shrugged. "Murder is a tricky thing. In reality, there's no guarantee the other person will end up dead. I've had a few people who've come back with poor results, the apothecary even more."

"You couldn't have sold me anything else?" Sofie asked, walking over to a table that held many small vials. Before continuing, she picked up a small bottle and placed it in her purse, her body shielding the apprentice from seeing what she had just done. "Like cyanide. That could have gotten the job done."

"We didn't have any in stock when you came by."

She turned away from the vials after making sure hers was tucked away. "I would have came back."

The apprentice crossed his arms, a smug smile grew on his face. "You're just irritated that the king is still alive, and you're worried you will get caught before you have the chance to strike again. Isn't that right?" he paused to let his words sink in. "Well, I'm the only one who knows what you've done, what you're trying to do. I could get a large reward for turning you in."

"You won't tell anyone," Sofie warned. She gestured around the room. "If you do, this whole scheme will be ruined."

"I think I could figure a way around it," he stepped closer to her. "But with a small payment I could keep my mouth shut."

"I doubt I have the amount of money you are looking for at the moment."

He placed a hand on her waist. "It doesn't have to come in the form of money."

Sofie slapped him, tossing his play aside. "It's a dirty business you're running, helping people kill each other."

She stormed out the back room and stopped at his mug that sat on the counter. She didn't know if it was alcohol or simply water in it, but whatever it was wouldn't matter. Quickly, while the apprentice was stunned by the her and then busy locking the door after following her out, unwilling to risk anyone seeing inside the back room, Sofie slipped the cyanide into his drink. Unsure of how much would kill him, she dumped in the entire vial. It looked as though it contained enough for just one killing.

"And murder is a dirty thing, _sweetheart,_ " he said, still rubbing the side of his cheek after he finished locking the door.

Sofie shrugged. "Well, I'm done here. I'm not interested in buying anything else from you. I just wanted to tell you how disappointed I was."

"Better luck next time!" he held the mug up towards her, unaware of the poison now in it. "And don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

A smile grew on Sofie's face as she walked out the door. "Oh, I'm not worried."

Outside, it started to pour again.


	14. Chapter 14: A Kind Gesture

**Chapter 14: A Kind Gesture**

Struggling to shut the door behind her, Sofie was finally able to reach out from underneath the delicate fabric in her arms and grab the handle to pull the door to the queen's room shut. She wished that the queen's extravagant gowns were not so extravagant. She found it much easier to carry a pile of sheets than a delicate, fancy gown, let alone two.

Perhaps it would have been easier and safer to carry one down at a time, but she couldn't spare the time to make two trips. She had much to do if she ever wanted to seem diligent enough to be a hard worker who could not be spared, one who could not have attempted to kill the king, and one who certainly had not committed a murder just a few days prior.

One of the dresses the maid was carrying began to slip down her arm, threatening to touch the floor. Quickly, she lifted her elbow to shift the dress back towards her torso. Sofie groan as it now covered the view in front of her. With her chin, she managed to flatten it back down.

It seemed as though nothing had been going right for her that day. In fact, nothing had been going right for the past _few_ days, ever since poisoning the king didn't worked. And of course, her unfortunate luck just had to occur when she had lots of work to do.

It was little things that frustrated her and made her want to scream out loud. Most were just minor inconveniences, such as the problem with dresses or breaking a bottle, but it seemed as though everyone else did not have these little problems. It was just her struggling.

As she began to descend the stairs, the top dress fell out of her arms. "No," she groaned as she attempted to catch it, but it fell out of her grasp and slid down the few steps in front of her.

"Here, let me get that for you, Miss," Sofie heard a voice say. She looked up to a young guard ascending the stairs. He bent down and picked up the gown she had dropped.

"Oh, be careful with that," she warned, her arms under the dress she still carried tried to reach out towards it. "A few jewels on the one side came loose. They need to be mended."

He looked at them, touching the small, silver jewels ever so slightly. "It looks like they survived the fall at least."

"Thank you," she held her arms out to recollect the dress, wanting to get on with her day.

"Would you like some help carrying these? They seem like a lot for you," he suggested, the dress still in his hands.

He smiled at her, and it made him seems carefree, as if he didn't mind taking the extra time out of his day. However, Sofie chose to decline. "It's fine…" she looked at the black name tag pinned to his blue uniform, "Officer Frandsen. I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" he skeptically asked. "I wouldn't want you tripping down the stairs and hurting yourself. Let me help you."

"I wouldn't want to take up your time."

"I've got a few moments to spare. No worries," he told her.

Sofie did not want help from the officer, but it appeared she had no choice. He would not give back the dress. "Okay, thank you."

"Where are you taking these to? The laundry room?" Frandsen asked as he headed down the steps next to Sofie.

"They need to go to the seamstress."

He looked down at the dress in his arms as a question popped into his head. "Does the queen really wear her dresses again?"

"She wears her simple day dresses multiple times, but her fancy gowns get altered and worn again sometimes. Ultimately, she has too many dresses for the people to even remember which dress she's worn I guess," Sofie explained.

Frandsen smiled at the insight. "That's interesting. I never really thought much of it. Of course, I'm not big on fashion."

Sofie did not respond further as they stepped off the last stair. A silence took over between them. Since the officer's main concern was her tripping down the stairs, she had hoped that once they stepped on flat ground he would give her back the gown and let her on her way. He did not. They continued walking in the direction of the seamstress. Two of the maids from the laundry room shot them a curious glance. Sofie ignored it knowing that they would take anything and blow it out of proportion.

Eventually, the officer spoke again. "Are you okay?" He had found himself wanting to ask her that question before when he'd see her in the halls, but he never did until it just rolled out of his mouth.

"Am I okay?" Sofie repeated, taken back by his unexpected question. She ran the question through her head, unsure of the answer herself.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know it's personal. It's just that you always seem upset, almost sad, when I see you pass by. Not―not that I watch for you or anything. I just see you sometimes when I'm stationed in the hall. I see a lot of people actually-"

"I'm fine," Sofie interjected. He was rambling anyway; his face flushed a shade of pink as he spoke.

"Are you sure?" Frandsen pressed again. "Because part of my job is observing people for―wow, observing sounds like a bad word―for anything out of the ordinary for safety concerns. Not that you are a safety concern. I just happen to pick up on the emotions of others, and believe me, some need to learn to contain their emotions."

Sofie raised an eyebrow. "Do _I_ need to learn to contain my emotions?"

"No, no. Not you. Some of the king's advisors need to learn how to hold back some anger and not take it out on everyone. I do think letting your emotions out is a good thing sometimes. Some people need to learn to let it out, whatever they feel, like Madame Brodeur," the guard explained.

"First she needs to learn to at least smile," Sofie commented. She had met the Madame when the queen visited her last week.

"I don't even think she knows what a smile is," commented Frandsen.

Surprisingly, Sofie found herself laughing, despite everything.

Suddenly her laughter faded. "I'm not really sad," she said in response to the officer's earlier question as they rounded a corner. She could see the seamstress's room just a short distance down the hall. "I'm more or less just frustrated."

"About what?" he asked, quickly retracting the question and scolding himself for asking yet another personal question. "Sorry, you don't have to share that."

Conveniently for Sofie, they had reached her destination. She never would have thought of doing so anyway. She turned towards him once they stopped in front of the door. "Thank you for your help, Officer. I appreciate it."

He gently placed his gown back onto of her outstretched arms. "It was my pleasure, Miss," Frandsen responded holding the door open for her. Walking in, she gave him a smile to be polite before he shut the door, smiling as well.

* * *

That night in her bed, Sofie pondered over the officer. It was odd that someone had actually stopped to help her. Now that she looked back, she wondered: was he making fun of her? No, perhaps he wasn't. He acted like a gentleman, but of course, all palace guards were supposed to act like that. But he had stumbled over his words, so it wasn't as though he had planned to make fun of her.

Was it possible that this was just one, lucky moment when someone had stopped to help her out of the goodness in their heart? Sofie was almost excited about that. It was much easier carrying one gown than two.

Of course, she would probably never speak to Officer Frandsen again. It was highly likely that he already forgot of their encounter.

Good. She didn't want anyone getting close to her because they'll only get in her way. She had a king to kill.

Sofie rolled over in her bed, pushing all thoughts she had aside and pulling the warm covers over her shoulders and up to her neck. Thinking about Officer Frandsen had taken up the time she would normally use to sob into her pillow. She was tired from her frustrating day, too tired to cry over all the little things that went wrong left and right, so she opted for sleep instead


	15. Chapter 15: Convincing

**Chapter 15: Convincing**

During her time at the orphanage, people always told her that tomorrow would be a better day. Sofie never found that to be true, but couldn't help but feel that as each day passed since her failed assassination attempt she felt better and better, even if the feeling was just a marginal. Each day brought a sense of relief knowing that she had at least gotten away with it.

She also felt relieved that Officer Frandsen had not tired speaking to her again. Of course, they hadn't even seen each other over the past few days, so that helped. It would be just as she suspected, though. She was sure he had forgotten of their encounter by now.

It appeared that would be tested when as she was walking down the hall that morning to report to her duty, she saw the officer walking her way. Fixing her eyes straight ahead at the decorative vase that sat on a small table at the end of the hall, she refused to look at him. However, from the corner of her eye, she saw him look at her and smile.

Why was he smiling at her? Was there something on her face?

"Good morning, Miss," he greeted when Sofie finally made eye contact with him. He slowed his pace to make the moment last just a bit longer.

"Good morning, Officer," Sofie replied back, taken back that he had chosen to speak to her once more. She kept walking, hoping he would not say another word. This was not what she wanted to happen.

Taking Sofie by surprise, as they passed each other, Frandsen added, "I hope you have a great day."

Quickly, Sofie eyes darted away from him and back to the vase. She couldn't tell if her heart jumped or her stomach sank when he spoke to her.

Her eyes then realized that she was at the queen's room already. She put a hand on the door handle, looking back at the officer who continued on his way. "Thank you," she said, her voice too quiet to be heard.

* * *

It was just an hour into her day and Sofie realized that she was having a _good_ day. When she arrived, she found only the queen waiting for her morning routine. King Eric had risen early to get some work done which he claimed was _extremely_ important and could not wait any longer. Ariel had told her she protested this, but seeing as though a week had already past and he had regained his strength, there was nothing more she could do other than swear she would make him head to bed early that night.

Rarely thinking she would ever say this, she had a nice morning tending to the queen. Though Sofie couldn't care less about her, she was relieved that the king was off her back and not watching her every move while she went about her job, at least for the time being.

Sofie was ready to leave Ariel for the morning when she saw her sit down on the bed as if she had been defeated. Her demeanor caught Sofie's attention, and since she was curious and supposed to be her friend, Sofie decided she would lend an ear―though, possibly regret it later if this turned out to be about something unimportant. She hoped that with everything going on, it wouldn't be anything trivial.

"What's wrong?" Sofie asked, sitting next to Ariel and placing a hand on her back.

Ariel shook her head as she tried to contain her tears of frustration. She only spoke once she was sure they wouldn't spill out. "There's been absolutely no breakthrough as to who tried to kill Eric, not even a clue. Captain Bruun says there's still hope and still has men out searching for clues every day, but by nightfall, they always report back empty handed. Eric has already lost hope. He says this investigation is pointless."

"Then why is it still continuing?" Sofie inquired. "With that opinion, I would have thought he would have called it off himself by now."

"He was about to order Captain Bruun to do so, but I begged for it to be continued. I can't just let the person who tried to kill my husband go free," Ariel explained.

Though she hated the king, Sofie understood how Ariel felt. She herself wanted her father's killer to pay in return for his death. It was a logical argument, but wrapped in emotion, and no matter how Ariel felt, Sofie still wanted this investigation to end to settle her nerves. She knew there was a much more logical reasoning to end this investigation.

She chose a simple question. "Are the guards still devoting their full attention to the search?"

Ariel nodded. "That's why Eric wants to cancel the investigation, or at least cut back on resources for it. He says now it's just taking up the guards' time."

"Well, for what it's worth, my opinion is that sending to guards out every day only for them to come back empty handed is a waste of time."

"I know. That's why I'm starting to think that sending the guards out is pointless. This wasn't done by someone on the outside. It must have been done by someone on the inside who snuck around the initial questioning," Ariel explained.

Sofie did not expect Ariel to have changed her thinking. Quickly, she tried to change her mind. "But-but that's ridiculous. The possibility of that being the case is low. Ariel, I highly doubt that."

"It's possible we've missed something."

"If it was someone from within, he would have struck again already. Or, or he would have fled, believing that he would be caught if he stayed any longer. Whoever did it probably knows the risks and will never step foot in the castle again."

Ariel shook her head. "We still have the same staff as before. Not a single person fled."

Sofie rose to her feet, pacing about in front of the bed as she exclaimed, louder than she planned to, "Then maybe they are still here! But what good would it be to continue searching them out? They would have struck again, so this is all pointless!"

"Sofie?" Ariel stood up too as she began to question her maid. Her sudden outburst was curious. "What is wrong? Don't you want Eric's attempted murderer to be caught?"

How she just acted caught up to Sofie. She put a hand to her head as she thought of an explanation. It flew down to her side when she thought of something. "I just worry about you. I know that even though you shouldn't be, you're still getting involved with the investigation, and that's dangerous."

Despising her next strategic move, Sofie took Ariel's hand in hers. "Ariel, you're my friend, and I don't want to see anything happen to you."

"But Eric is my husband, and I can't let anything happen to him," Ariel replied, looking down at their hands. "What would you do if someone was targeting your husband?"

"I wouldn't give up hope, but I would stay positive with rationality," Sofie suggested. "Let them move on from the investigation to attend to other matters, but the guards will still stay vigilant. No one is going to stop searching."

"I know," Ariel reluctantly agreed. "You're right. I'll tell Eric he can call off the investigation if he wants."

Sofie smiled. That was one problem solved.

* * *

So, perhaps Sofie did have a good day, but it certainly wasn't because Officer Frandsen had told her he hoped she would. People never truly mean it when they say things like that. It's all small talk to avoid awkward silences.

With or without his greeting, it would have been a good day. For once, something went her way, and nothing gave her trouble. It seemed as though things were finally back on track for her.


	16. Chapter 16: Setbacks & Nursery Rhymes

**Chapter 16: Setbacks and Nursery Rhymes**

Within the next two weeks, the investigation of the king's assassination attempt wrapped up. The guards turned their attention away from looking for evidence back to patrolling the castle and kingdom after Ariel finally took Sofie's advice. The king needed no convincing. Though scared for his life, he listened more to logic than emotion.

Sofie never thought she was going to get caught, but it was a relief off her shoulders, and she also enjoyed watching everyone give up. Watching their hope run out felt like payback for all the nights she spent in the orphanage, hoping her father would return to her. He never did.

She tried to avert her attention away from her sad thoughts to her task of brushing out the queen's hair. Instead, that only made her feel more depressed and reminiscent of her father. Not having a mother as a child, her father was the one to brush her hair in the morning. Sofie smiled as she remembered the fits she used to through when she was four; she hated the tug of the brush stuck in her tangled hair. Her father, only wanting to make her happy, changed the way he brushed to starting at her ends, allowing for the brush to move through at least a little smoother.

Watching as she ran the comb through Ariel's hair, she suddenly stopped and put the brush down. It was brushed out enough and she had enough of seeing her father brush her own hair. She began to style the hair into an elaborate bun.

"Sofie, how well can you keep a secret?" Ariel suddenly asked, breaking the unusual silence between the girls. Usually Ariel was more talkative. Today, she almost seemed fidgety.

The maid secured the hair into place. "Very well," she responded, wanting to know the secret.

"I'm just so excited about this news. I already informed Eric, so it's fine if I tell a couple close friends until it's officially announced." Ariel explained. In the mirror, Sofie could see a huge smile on her face that she could not contain.

"I won't tell a soul," Sofie swore, but she knew promises meant nothing.

"Well, as you know, I've been getting sick these past few mornings. I'm sorry you've been around that. Vomiting is very unladylike," Ariel apologized. "I've also realized I've ceased to feel unwell these past two months."

"You're pregnant?" Sofie asked, coming to the conclusion herself. She wished she was wrong, but thinking back, it all made sense. Ariel had shown symptoms, but Sofie simply ignored them. She probably would have jumped to the conclusion on her own much sooner had she _wanted_ the queen to be pregnant.

Ariel nodded, smiling brightly. "Carlotta and I believe so. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yes, it's rather amazing," Sofie forced a smile before turning around. This was another complication in her plan. " _An heir to the throne."_

* * *

"I'm so excited for this baby!" Eric exclaimed as he scoured the library shelves for the book he was looking for.

Ariel smiled brightly at his excitement which she felt as well. "What book are we looking for?" she asked, assuming it had something to do with the baby.

He looked behind him to see her on her feet looking as well. "No, you rest," Eric said as he took her hand and guided her towards the nearby love seat.

"Eric," she scolded, her arms crossed, but she still had a smile on her face and sat down. "I'm still able to be on my feet."

"I know, I know," he replied. Still feverishly searching for the book he wanted to show her. He moved away from the shelves to a chest in the corner. Opening it, he read the titles of the books that laid in there along with other old trinkets. "Found it!" he exclaimed, picking up the book and brushing off the dust even the chest could not prevent it from gathering over the years.

He took a seat next to his wife. Ariel looked at the book he now showed her. It was old, very old. The pages wrinkled and discolored along the edges, and the brown, leather cover frayed at the binding. The cover read: _Nursery Rhymes._

As Ariel took the book in her hands and began delicately flipping through the pages, Eric explained, "It was my mother's, and I believe her mother read it to her when she was a child. Mother would read it to me to put me to bed some nights when I was really young."

"Which was your favorite?"

Eric sat back. He loved numerous nursery rhymes as a child. He thought for a moment before responding, "Bobby Shafto's gone to Sea."

She smiled. "That's not surprising."

"It was about the sea, and my mother sang it beautifully," he explained.

About to close the book, a page turned over and Ariel saw what appeared to be a drawing of some four-legged creature on the page for "If Wishes were Horses, Beggars would be Riders" _._ She pointed at it. "What's this?"

"It's supposed to be a horse," he shrugged. "Mother threw a fit once she discovered I was drawing in the book, so I never finished it."

Closing the book, she smirked at him. "I sure hope you won't let this baby draw in it too."

"Of course I won't. This book is too special," Eric replied. "You know, after Mother died, I put the book away. I loved Carlotta reading and singing to me too, but this book was Mother's. I forgot about it until now. I missed it."

"I can't wait to read it to this child!" Ariel exclaimed, hugging the book close to her chest.

"And I can't wait to hear you sing all the songs," he replied. "Do you think it's too early to begin picking out names?"

Ariel shrugged. "I don't think it matters when we do it, just as long as it's a cute name."

"We'll pick out the cutest and most regal name for this baby, and I'm going to have the softest linens shipped in for the baby's crib," he excitedly explained. "And I hope we both agree that we won't make our child wear itchy clothing like my parents made me when I was a kid."

"Say that again," Ariel commanded.

"When I was a kid?"

She shook her head and repeated with a smile, " _Our child._ "

Eric's face relaxed. He placed a hand on her stomach. " _Our child_."

* * *

 _Work at the castle_

 _Become Lady's Maid_

 _Kill the king_

Nowhere in her checklist was having to deal with another heir!

Sofie left Ariel in a grumpy mood that morning. She often left irritated by her, but the news of an heir left Sofie in a particularly sour mood. It was one of those moments when she hated everyone, not that she didn't on a normal day, but that day everyone was a bother, even Officer Frandsen―or Philip, as he had recently told her she could call him. He tried to smile at her around midday, but she looked away, ignoring him.

The officer and she had spoken almost every day since they first met, most of their encounters being short conversations, nothing personal, and sometimes it was just a simple smile. Though she didn't know how she felt about the first name basis, she had enjoyed the company a bit. She assumed it was just because she had been in a good mood over the past few days. Now that she felt as though the world was against her again, she didn't want to be bother by him.

That was the case that evening. She supposed a smile from Philip was the least of her worries; he hadn't tried to speak with her yet. However, the lower maids seemed to be very needy. Multiple maids asked her for directions or instructions more than any other day. It was like they knew she was having a horrible day, and the idea of having yet another hitch in her plan made her feel as though she wished she were dead.

"Miss Lauriten…" Sofie heard someone address her. She groaned as she turned around to find Philip approaching her.

"Officer, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked. There was a bit of annoyance in her voice, but the boy wouldn't have taken notice of it. He was just glad to have a chance to speak with her.

He shrugged. "I was just wondering how your day was."

"It was fine," Sofie replied, half-heartedly and began to walk away.

"Are you sure?" he asked, following her with quick strides. He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

She forcefully shook him off, repeating with more anger in her voice, "I'm _fine_. It was just a bad day."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If you need someone to-"

"I said it was just a bad day! I have them all the time. It's nothing I can't handle. I'll…I'll just have to…" But Sofie shut her mouth before she said anything she would regret. Instead she turned away from him. With limited strength in her body, she leaned her head against the hallway wall, turned away from him so he could not see her barely holding back the tears in her eyes.

Philip felt terrible for Sofie, but he had no clue what to do. He didn't want to force her to talk with him, but he also couldn't just let her continue to feel miserable. Though she shrugged his hand off once before, he again place it on her shoulder. "That's quite alright. I had a bad day, too. Everything went wrong, and I got scolded by a superior officer. Things will turn around, though. You'll see."

A small smile formed on Sofie's face as she thought his words over. She did not shrug his hand away, but instead placed her right hand over it. With her left, she began to rub away the water from her eyes.

She nodded. "You're right. Things can turn around."

She smiled at him before leaving. Everyone was so happy, and she couldn't have that, not when they didn't deserve their happiness, and especially when their happiness would result in more evilness being brought into the world. She would have to do something about it. Sometimes, she forgot how much power she held in her hands. Sofie would not let her plan fall into pieces that easily.

* * *

 **(A/N- In case anyone is confused, years ago feeling "unwell" usually referred to a woman's menstrual cycle, so "ceasing to feel unwell" means that she missed her period. I'm sure she felt unwell vomiting, but that's a different type of unwell.)**


	17. Chapter 17: Confiding

**Chapter 17: Confiding**

The guest wing was often the quietest part of the castle when there were not many guests visiting. Sofie didn't know how she ended up there; she had no reason to be there anymore. Still, it was rather calm today, and the wandering down the long hallway gave her time to think.

She barely found time for her imagination anymore. Of course, she also supposed that she simply didn't want to make the time. It was all too painful to dream up scenarios of her mission being completed and her life turning around. Sometimes, voices would scream at her, telling her she should have done things differently, that she was a failure, that she will never find peace of mind, or that she should even feel guilty for doing what she was attempting, that she should feel guilty for trying to find peace of mind.

Sometimes, when there was just herself to keep her company, Sofie wondered if being trapped in a mind she couldn't even understand was worse than dealing with bothersome and mean people.

But today seemed like a good day. Her mind was not yelling at her. Instead, she easily found herself picturing the unborn heir to the throne _dead_.

She came to a side table along the tall walls with a vase of flowers on top. Sofie noticed that one of the flowers was already wilted. She smiled. It looked like the maid who had taken her former position was not doing a very good job.

"Having a better day?" she heard a familiar voice ask her as it approached her from behind.

She smiled brightly as she turned around to see Philip walking up the hall. "Why, yes I am."

"I'm glad," Philip replied. He walked up to the vase and touched the dead flower. "Hmm, someone's slacking, but I suppose it's not you. What are you doing up here?"

Sofie shrugged. "Just wandering. The queen is busy and I already have the rest of her day planned out, _and_ part of tomorrow. Plus, I already reorganized her room yesterday."

"It sounds like you've been busy."

She nodded in agreement. "And where are you off to? Shouldn't you be stationed somewhere, or am I interrupting your patrol? Oh, maybe you're skipping training!"

"Nah, no one gets away with skipping training. Besides, training normally takes place in the morning. I'm heading over to attend a meeting about the king's assassination attempt."

Her face went pale. Sofie looked down in order to conceal it. "But I thought they wrapped up the investigation."

"This is about increased security measures," he replied.

"Oh," Sofie's face relaxed. She reminded herself yet again that she would not get caught. Despite her recent panic, a smile formed on her face. "Do you mind if I keep you company on your way there? It is a long walk there."

Philip smiled brightly, glad that she had asked to practically spend time with him. "I would be delighted."

"Why did you want to become a palace guard?" Sofie asked as they began to make their way down the rest of the hall.

"Well, it's a long story," Philip responded.

Sofie shrugged. "And it's a long walk."

"My father told me how he wanted to do was become a palace guard when he was a child. He said that it's an honorable thing to do in life, to protect your king and fellow citizens. He quickly became an accomplished, high ranking officer. The king trusted him, so he thought my father would be the best to lead the massacre," Philip explained. He liked her curiosity, so he had no qualms in telling her about his father.

"Of 1822?" Sofie asked, her heart dropping. Was she talking to someone whose father played a part in her father's death? Philip was supposed to be someone _away_ from her past who she felt safe to confide in.

Against her hopes, Philip nodded. "But when the king went to him, my father expressed how he could not go in and murder people. Father said he also had to protect the innocent. The king dismissed him from duty right there and then."

"That's very noble of you father," Sofie expressed, shocked. She thought the story would have a different ending. "I suspect he knew he would lose his position by doing so."

"He did. I was only six when he came home that day, but I can still remember the disappointment on his face. Of course, father told me he wasn't disappointed, but I knew he was. That's when I promised I would become a guard one day, just like him. Of course, I waited until King Eric was coronated so I didn't have to serve his father, and here I am!"

"Here you are." Sofie smiled, but it shortly faded away before she chose to make her confession. The last to know were those at her orphanage. "My father was killed in that same massacre."

"What?" Philip looked over at her. She looked up at him with sad eyes, eyes he thought looked like they were filled with pain. He always hated the massacre, but now he felt he had a much greater reason to. "Sofie, I'm so sorry."

She looked away from him and absentmindedly looked at the wall as they moved past it. "My father and I weren't even part of the protests, but the guards didn't care. The king had ordered everyone to be put down. It was terrifying," she admitted, fighting images in her head of the flames and dead bodies.

"Were you taken to the orphanage?"

Sofie nodded. "The king had ordered that no children were to be killed. Of course, that order wasn't fully fulfilled, but I was lucky―if you could call it that."

"It seems like you made it out well, though. I mean, not all ends well for all orphans," Philip commented.

"I've had at least a few people treat me decently in life. The runners of the orphanage weren't terrible women, and I had a pleasant job with my former employer. That made it easier to move on from the orphanage."

"Did the orphanage set you up with a job as a maid?" Philip asked Sofie.

"They did, and I was really lucky with that, too. The orphanage releases you when you turn seventeen whether or not there are job opportunities. I was the only one who turned seventeen in the spring, so there wasn't any competition for jobs at the orphanage then," she explained.

"Have you worked at that job until you came here?" he inquired further.

"Yeah. I worked there for seven years until I got promoted. Working at the manor was pleasant, but it got dull after a while. Early on I knew I wanted more than to be _just_ be an ordinary maid. I knew the palace would be interesting, but I also thought being the queen's lady maid would be even better," Sofie said, looking over at Philip to try and read his face.

Philip smiled, enjoying her story. He then added, "And I see you managed to follow that dream."

"I did. Growing up, I just I never had much," she expressed. "You never do in an orphanage. There's never enough food, enough toys, or enough love. The only thing that's plentiful is kids. I could have made a family out of them, but many of them were from my home. They were the ones whose families protested, so, as a child, they were the only ones I knew to blame. I believed that their families were the ones who causes the massacre and I hated them for that. I stayed away from them, and I refused to make any new friends as well.

"It was just me, and after a while, a lonely life in the same orphanage gets boring, but it's so hard to one day to change that lifestyle and make friends," Sofie continued. "I wanted to be near the top so I could be with all the action, and a lady's maid was the easiest thing I could climb up too. I just had to work hard."

Of course, she didn't mention to Philip how being at the top also allowed her easy access to murder the king, but what she told him was also the truth. She was tired of seeing everyone else having all the fun.

"That sounds like a rough life," Philip commented. "Things are better now, right? You're finally happy?"

Happy would only mean having the king dead, but Sofie nodded. "It's never boring. There's always something happening. I get to meet who the queen meets and I get to accompany her on trips."

"But you're not lonely anymore, right? I just hate the thought of you growing up as a little girl all alone. And you don't really seem friends with the other maids."

"Yeah… I have friends. The queen is lovely to me, and I'm rather fond of the head housekeeper," Sofie said, even though she knew she could hardly call them friends.

Philip looked at her skeptically. "They're your bosses."

"That doesn't mean they can't be my friends as well," Sofie added.

"No, it doesn't, but I'd feel a bit better if you'd count me as a friend, too. Then, at least I'll know that someone around here is good to you while everyone else spreads ridiculous rumors about you."

Sofie thought it over. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to have Philip as a friend. "I'd like that."


	18. Chapter 18: Success & Loss

**Chapter 18: Success and Loss**

Sofie was waiting for the perfect time to strike.

It was hard to kill a child still protected by its mother. The easiest option to be sure the child dies would be to kill the mother as well, but that wasn't Sofie's intent. Though she despised the queen, Ariel wasn't her goal. She was just a pathetic girl who married the wrong, evil man. However, if Ariel did happen to die as a result, that would be just fine with Sofie.

She knew waiting for the perfect time was key or else things could go wrong, and she wouldn't have that happen again. She just needed Ariel in the right position, but it was agony to wait. The royals' happiness made Sofie want to pull her hair out. Still, she waited, wanting things to go smoothly.

Two weeks past and she grew impatient. She began to try and make the situation happen. She offered to walk with Ariel down the stairs a few times, but each time someone was passing by or chose to join them. Another week past, and yet, Sofie was unable to give the last push towards her plan.

Then, one evening, Ariel had asked her to take a stroll with her along the beach, only wishing to enjoy some fresh air before the sun set and Eric finished last minute work. Sofie gladly accepted. The castle had begun to grow quiet as people began to wrap up their day. As they approached the staircase, Sofie realized things had made their own perfect time.

Besides waiting for her moment, her plan was simple. No one else was using the staircase. The only person in sight was a guard at the bottom, but he was not looking up. With that security, Sofie counted as they walked down the first 6 steps. That left them 20 from the bottom.

She needed Ariel to take a _long_ tumble.

Then, with a simple hand to the queen's back and some pressure, the queen went falling down the many stairs, unable to grab onto the railing in time. She left out a scream as she fell, her body rolling down across the steps, only to quickly be silence by a hard hit to her head.

The guard at the bottom as looked up in reaction to the commotion, but he was unable to stop her fall. He collected her at the base of the staircase and rolled her onto her back to see if she was conscious. Her hair was now fanned out messily across the floor, her eyes closed and a cut on her forehead bleeding.

"Oh my God! Is she okay?!" Sofie called out as she collected her skirt and ran down the stairs. "She fell!"

People had heard Ariel's scream and the commotion Sofie had made. They peaked their heads out of doors and stood in the halls shocked by the sight of their fallen queen. Two more guards came rushing to her side, one happening to be Philip.

"What happened?" he questioned, looking at the queen laying on the ground. He kneeled besides her between Sofie and the guard already there.

Sofie shook her head frantically and added some shakiness into her voice. "She fell. As soon as we started down the stairs she commented she felt dizzy. I told her she should stop and rest, but the next thing I knew she was falling and I couldn't catch her."

"She's unconscious but breathing," the other guard said.

"It's okay. We'll take care of her," Philip placed a reassuring hand to Sofie's back. He turned towards the guard standing behind him. "Berg, have someone fetch the doctor."

 _Take care of the problematic baby- Check_

* * *

Eric paced back and forth outside the door to their bedchambers. Of course he would not be allowed in. The formalities would never allow that even though his wife was in pain and all he wished to do was comfort her.

"Eric, my boy," Grimsby tried to comfort. "Everything will be alright."

"No, it won't," he lashed out, quickly regretting the amount of anger in his voice. Grimsby was not the one who caused this.

"They haven't told us anything yet."

"They would have told us by now if things were okay. And besides, for what other reasons would they keep me from her?" Eric asked.

After what seemed like an eternity for Eric, they door to their room opened and out came Sofie. Hands folded in front of her, she had grim look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said, for once staring him straight in his eyes. "Ariel will be fine, but the baby was lost."

She watched as his face fell and those ice cold eyes finally felt pain. He seemed as though he took a few seconds to process what she had told him, that he could not believe something could go wrong for him. She wanted to smile at the sight, but knew she couldn't.

Eric slowly nodded and finally sat down on the bench Grimsby could not get him to sit on while he was endlessly pacing back and forth. He put his head in his hands and now shook it in denial.

"I'm so sorry," Grimsby offered, putting an arm around the boy. Then, mumbling to himself he said, "My, the people will not be happy to hear of this."

But Eric had heard what he said. He rose back up to his feet. "No, the people won't learn of this. They will question her ability to produce an heir or make some rumor out of this. Anyway, they had yet to even find out she was pregnant―God, we were going to announce that soon. Grim, they _won't_ find out."

Sofie smiled. Perhaps she was not done for the day yet.

* * *

"You must eat something, Eric," Grimsby said the next morning guiding him to the table.

"I told you, I'm not hungry. I'd rather be with Ariel."

"She needs to rest and you should being trying to eat even just a bit of breakfast," Grimsby paused, coming up with something he knew would be effective on him. "Do it for her."

Eric sighed and took his seat knowing he had to stay strong for her. Ariel was completely devastated. He lifted his fork with a bit of eggs on the end of it, but he was unable to get it halfway to his mouth when one of his advisors rushed in, practically panting, with a newspaper in his hand.

"Your Majesty! So...sorry to disturb you, but...you must read this," he placed the paper in front of the king. Eric put his fork down and read the headline:

 _Queen Suffers Fall, Looses Unborn Child_

Eric threw the paper back on the table and got up to exit the room.

"Where are you going?" Grimsby asked as he reached for the paper to see what had upset the boy.

"To go hold my wife," was his response.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Eric," sobbed Ariel. "I wish I knew what happened. I haven't fallen down the stairs in months. I thought I was getting better at not being clumsy."

"It's alright, love," Eric soothed, trying to hold himself together at the same time. He tried again to reassure that it wasn't her fault. "Lauritsen said you suddenly felt dizzy while walking down the stairs. Ariel, no one can help tripping and falling when they're dizzy. For all we know, you could have even passed out."

Ariel tried again to recall that moment so many people were telling her happened. Disappointingly scrunching her brows together despite the pain, she replied. "I still don't remember being dizzy at all."

"The doctor said you hit your head hard enough that it's entirely possible you forgot the earlier events," he explained. "You need to get more rest. Maybe you'll remember later."

Instead of obeying his suggestion, she set up out of his arms and hugged her knees to her chest. "I was so excited to have this baby. I still can't believe it's gone."

"Neither can I, but we can get through this together, starting with making sure you get your strength back," he said as he pulled her back into his arms.

She leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder and sniffled. "This isn't fair."

"I know, and sometimes, things aren't just unfair, they're cruel."


	19. Chapter 19: The Meaning of Gifts

**Chapter 19: The Meaning of Gifts**

"I'll see you tonight," Sofie said as she began to walk towards the door.

Ariel turned around at the realization that Sofie was leaving. "One moment. I want to give you something," she said as she walked to her jewelry box. She opened the lid to pull out a sparkling, diamond necklace. "I don't wear this anymore. I want you to have it. It's a token of thanks for everything you've done. I never would have gotten through these past weeks without you. I don't think my heart will ever heal from losing this baby, but I feel a little better knowing I have such a good friend to help me through everything."

Sofie smiled, but she didn't have to force it. She was still enjoying her success every time Ariel mentioned it. "Helping you through this tough time is the least I can do for a friend."

"Here," Ariel extended the necklace towards Sofie. The large diamond in the center of the brooch shined brightly during the movement. "I hope this means as much to you as your support means to me."

"Thank you," Sofie took the piece in her hands. Leaving her lady's room, she headed for her own. She wanted to freshen up before her stroll with Philip.

She entered her own room and tossed the necklace on the side table closest to the door. She doubted she would ever wear the piece. With the exception for the dresses the queen had given her for her first few days in her position, she could not wear her toss aways in front of her. The expensive piece was almost pointless to her. Perhaps she could sell it.

Looking in the mirror and fixing her hair, she quickly brushed the thought of the necklace out of her head. She was going to see Phillip next.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Sofie asked Philip.

"Just out to the gardens. It's a lovely day out," he replied. On the arm Sofie was holding, Philip could feel the slight warmth of her hand through his uniform.

They entered the gardens in silence and followed the path that headed down to a small pond. Sofie looked over her shoulder towards the exit. She watched as a servants walked past the door and looked out at them, no doubtfully dreaming up what gossip to spread next.

Philip then looked over his shoulder before turning away shaking his head. He picked a stone up from the path as it began to accumulate small rocks as they moved closer to the pond. He played with it in his free hand. "Those other maids annoy me."

Sofie shrugged. "They annoy me, too, but I just ignore them. I've been ignoring people I hate all my life."

"But they should treat a senior servant with respect, not spread ridiculous rumors of you bribing your way to the top and all that nonsense" he said. Philip gently released his arm from Sofie's grip to run his fingers across the stone's flat surface before chucking it towards the pond. The stone skipped across the calm water's surface three times before sinking towards the bottom.

Sofie watched him, amused, as she recalled a memory from her early childhood. "My father taught me how to skip stones when I was a kid."

"Really?" Philip asked. Bending down, he picked up another similarly shaped stone. Handing it to her, he encouraged, "Give one a go."

Sofie refused it, pushing his hand and stone away from her. "I haven't done it since before he was killed. I doubt I can even do it."

Philip took her hand and laid the stone into her palm. "Just try."

She looked down at the stone now in her hand, contemplating the idea. Finally, she held the stone between her thumb and pointer finger and threw it into the pond. It bounced once before submerging to the bottom.

"See," she told him. "That was terrible."

"Nah, that was good! There are some people who can't get one skip. Here, let me show you," he told her, picking up another stone. Philip gave it to her and, standing close to her side, he took her hand with the rock and her elbow in each of his hands. "Stand with your right side facing the water... Good. Now, it's all in the angle. Bend down a little and then take this wrist and bend it back... Yep... Now flick it forward fast."

With Philips motions, Sofie flicked her wrist and let go of the stone, allowing for it to choose what to do when it touched the surface of the water. Unlike her first attempt, the stone skipped twice. She looked up at Philip with a smile, and was surprised to find him standing so close to her. Before knowing him, she would have frowned upon his touch, but now, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, earlier she had clinged onto his arm before he had the chance to offer it to her.

"Good job!" he congratulated. "Let's try another one."

Once again, Philip guided her motions, making sure she would remember the steps. This time, the stone skipped a successful three times.

He took a step back from Sofie. "You're a natural. Your father must have taught you well."

"Well, he did tell me I was the best stone skipper in the village," she jokingly bragged as she watched Philip pick up a few more rocks. "But I desperately needed reteaching. Thank you."

"I'm glad I was able to get your skipping abilities back on track," he said as he gave her a few of the stones he picked up, taking a few seconds to skip one himself. "I want to see you throw one yourself."

Sofie skipped a rock and Philip counted the number of skips.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed. "Four times!"

"I never counted the skips as a child," Sofie said. "I was always too amazed at how the stone was able to skip the surface like that and I loved the ripples it left behind."

"That's interesting, too. I suppose it's all physics," he replied.

Sofie stared down at the stone in her hand, flipping it over a few times as she contemplated what to say next. "You know, I really love spending time with you."

Philip's head picked up when he heard Sofie. A wide smile spread across his face. "I do, too. I adore your presence. The moments we get to spend together are always the best parts of my day."

"You're so easy to talk to. In all my years I've never had a friend I could really open up with. It feels… good," Sofie admitted.

"Anytime you need to talk, I'll be there," he said. Leaning in, he motioned towards the castle with his head, "I won't be like any of the other staff."

"What, you don't like spreading rumors about me?" she asked with a mischievous smile. "I'm surprised. I thought you were the one who started the rumor that I am the daughter of the most wanted criminal."

He shook his head. "No, no no. I spread the one that you are secretly a goddess."

She blushed at the notion of Philip thinking of her as such. "I-I haven't heard that one yet."

"Well, I'm sure it will get back to you," he paused a moment to skip a stone. He grew more serious. "I never believed a single one to them even before I met you."

"Philip, I want you to just forget about them. Ignore them. When we spend time together, I don't what to talk about all that. I want to focus on what we have," Sofie said.

For a moment she didn't know how she had come to form a relationship with Philip and why she was letting it continue. She started off just being polite when he tried speaking with her. Then, it occurred to her Philip could be of use to her one day. Now, as she felt them truly growing closer, she found herself wishing she was able to push him away, but unable to.

He was giving her what she had been avoiding for years. A part of her mind tried to scream at her, but somehow, Philip was able to tame it. For this reason, Sofie found herself comforted and speaking the truth.

"It's just that these moments are ours," Sofie continued, "and I don't want to share them with anyone but you."

Philip looked towards the castle with defiance. "They can spread their false rumors about you―about us," he looked back at her. "What we really have is more powerful than what they say about us."

There was a tension between the two that Sofie wanted to explore further, but she also knew she shouldn't. She skipped the last stone in her hands. "I better be returning now. The queen will need a new outfit soon."

"Okay," he agreed, dropping the rest of this stones to the ground. He knew better than to take things further than she appeared to be comfortable with. On the way back inside he spotted a row of pink lilies. He stopped to pick the prettiest one as Sofie curiously watched.

"Here, this matches the color of your dress," Philip turned to her, placing the flower in her hair. It now sat just above her ear.

Sofie lifted her hand up to the flower, touching it delicately, afraid that it might fall out. She smiled, "Thank you."

Philip replied with a bright smile, glad she enjoyed his gesture and gift. He glanced over at her as they continued their way back into the castle. A small smile was plastered onto her face and it made her glow. He was glad he could make her happy, not only with his little gesture, but with his company as well. Philip had taken notice over the past few weeks they've known each other that she seemed to develop a much happier mood. It gave Philip a sense of pride. He was so grateful he had been able to enter her life and that she had entered his.

* * *

At the end of the day, Sofie went into her room. Picking up a book from her nightstand, she opened it to a random page in the middle. Then, she carefully took the flower Philip had given her out of her hair and placed it in the book before closing it. She planned to keep that flower forever. Never before had someone given her such a gift.

She opened the book once again to make sure that it remained in there, that it had not been taken away, ripped from her as so much in her life had been. It remained, and she sat down on her bed with relief.

Sofie smiled, looking back upon the book with her little gift in.


	20. Chapter 20: Nightmare

**Chapter 20: Nightmare**

" _Sofie… Sofie..."_

 _The girl murmured in her sleep as she tried to fade out the noise. Who was calling her name?_

" _Sofie..."_

 _She rolled over. Was that Philip? Why was he in her room so late at night? She opened her eyes and sat up in bed. The candle burning on her nightstand gave just enough light to see the figure sitting along the side her bed._

 _It was not Philip. It was King Eric._

 _Sofie's heart lepted out of her chest as she inched herself away from him until her back was against the headboard._

" _What are you doing here?" she frantically asked, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them close. Sofie's covers had slipped off her as she inched backwards leaving her to feel exposed and now wishing she was back under them._

 _She felt him lean closer to her. "I'm here to ask you a question: Did you forget about me?"_

 _His question sent sharp pains through her head. "Go away!" she loudly screamed, hoping he would heed to her order or that someone might hear the commotion she made._

" _Now, now, now," the king started, shaking his head. "You forget, I've got the law in_ _ **my**_ _hands. No one will come running to your side. You might be a senior servant, but your place in the world will always just be as a lonely girl."_

 _Sofie tried pushing him away. He was too close and she felt as though she could hardly breathe because he was taking up all the air, but he didn't move an inch. It was like he was a statue fixed in one position._

" _But, I'm getting off topic here," Eric continued, nonchalant. "It seems as though you have forgotten me. It's been such a long time since your first assassination attempt. Aren't you gonna try again?"_

 _Sofie's eyes grew wide at his last sentence._ _ **He knew.**_

" _Oh, don't give me that look. I've known for a long time now. Haven't you seen the way I've looked at you? It's always been with suspicion."_

" _Then why haven't you done anything yet if you already know? Like you said, the law is in your hands," Sofie questioned, trying to think reasonably and sound strong._

 _Eric laughed as if she was dumb. "Isn't it obvious? I_ _ **enjoy**_ _terrifying you. I love watching you shrink back at my sight. Now, tell me, when will you strike next? I want to be ready to see you fail again. Didn't anyone tell you? It's much too difficult for just one girl to try and kill the big, bad wolf?"_

" _I have a plan," Sofie declared. She barely had one formed, but it seemed better to bluff than to let him get the best of her._

" _Well, it better be a good one, because if you don't succeed, you'll be the one_ _ **dead**_ _," he warned, reaching down beside her bed._

 _Slowly, wishing to stir up as much fright within Sofie as he could, the king held the object he picked up in front of her face. It was a sword. The very same one she had seen before; the one she could not get out of her head. It's bright, blue gem shined brightly. She looked up at the king. His smile was menacing and his blue eyes shined brighter than the gem as he held the sword up to her neck._

" _Philip!" she called. "Philip!"_

 _The king laughed. "Oh, don't try and convince yourself he's on your side. Both of your stories are completely different in regards to your fathers. His is still alive, and Philip's first loyalty is to_ _ **me**_ _. You can't trust him anymore than you can trust me."_

" _Philip!" she tried again to desperately call for help, but yet, no one came. No one ever came for her._

" _Say hello to your father for me," he requested as he moved the sword away from her throat and towards her stomach, plunging it forward._

* * *

Sofie jolted awake. Her room was cool, but her skin felt as though she was on fire. She was clammy and sweaty, and her heart raced faster than she ever felt it.

Recalling the dream, her hands flung to her stomach. There, she found no blood or stab wound. She left out a sigh of relief after being reassured it was just a nightmare, but her mind did not stop racing. Dreams often meant something, and this dream left a million questions running through her head.

Did the king already know she was who tried to kill him? Was he plotting to kill her as well? And what of Philip? In her dream, he did not come to her rescue. Could she still trust him?

She then looked at the clock only to realize she was late for her duty.

* * *

Sofie hoped the queen would be apologetic. Knowing her, she probably would be―and probably ask a million questions as to why her normally-on-time maid was late.

She wished she could walk faster through the halls, but the tray of tea she was carrying could not be split. If it was, Sofie would have to go all the way back down to the kitchen to fetch more, which required time she did not have.

Still musing over in her mind was the nightmare. Sofie could not get the jeweled sword out of her head, but she had to if she ever hoped to remain calm and collected in front of the queen. Of course, telling herself to remain calm would do no good either. It only made her more nervous.

Finally, she arrived to the royals' room. Hastily, she held the tray on her hip to free a hand for opening the door.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," she apologized as she shifted the tray back into both of her hands. As she did so, she kept her eyes looking down at the tray to avoid contact with the queen's, who she could see out of the corner of her eye sitting on the bed. She appeared already dressed. Sofie never though she would ever wish this, but she hoped the queen was having a good day. She was not in the mood to help the queen cope with the loss of her child.

Sofie only looked up once she saw the tray crash into someone wearing a fresh, white shirt. It was the king, now with her tea spilt on him.

She took a large step back from him, her mouth agape. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," she offered, although, it would be unlikely an apology would keep him from ordering her death right there and then.

"It's fine," he brushed off with a polite smile, thankful the tea was not piping hot. "I have plenty of other shirts I can put on."

"I'm so sorry," Sofie found herself saying again in her frozen state.

"Really, there's no harm done," Eric repeated.

"Sofie, are you alright?" Ariel asked as she approached the two.

Sofie felt her blood boil at the question, and she already knew her face was pink. Attention was not what she wanted. "I'll go fetch you some more tea," she excused herself before rushing out of the room.

"You know, I don't think she likes me," Eric stated.

Ariel shook her head. "Oh, Eric, please. That's how anyone would act if they just spilled tea on their king."

"That's not what I'm talking about," he said, taking off his tea-soaked shirt. "She never seems to like me."

"Well, you are the king. Maybe she's just intimidated by you," she replied as she picked up the napkins that fell off the tray and remained on the floor uncollected by Sofie. She began to wipe off the tea that had soaked through Eric's shirt to his chest.

He shrugged. "There was never any awkward tensions between Miss Hampshire and me."

"Olivia was more outgoing," Ariel replied before shifting her thoughts back to her current maid. "I hope Sofie's okay. She seemed a little flustered."

" _That's how anyone would act if they just spilled tea on their king,"_ Eric mimicked with a smile.

"No, I mean before she spilled the tea. She's also never late," Ariel said, looking at the door and hoping Sofie would came back in so she could ask her again what was wrong. Perhaps she should go after her.

"I'd give her some time to cool off," Eric said, reading her mind.

* * *

Sofie made it back to her room without bursting into tears. She closed the door behind her and was prepared to let them fall as she leaned her forehead against the door, breathing heavily.

" _Are you determined to make me mad?_ " she heard a voice ask.

She turned around to see the king standing in the middle of her room, sword in hand.

"You?" she exclaimed. "But how did-"

He continued on, " _Because it seems like you are—spilling tea on me, the audacity. It's just like how your village made my father mad all those years ago, and you know what happened to them."_

 _Let me go!_

 _She'll go to the orphanage…_

 _Papa!_

Sofie covered her ears trying to get the voices out of her head and closed her eyes, but her head was then only filled with images of bloody bodies and flames all around her. She almost felt as though she was on fire.

"We weren't protesting," she said with a small, defeated voice. Was there any point anymore?

She opened her eyes to find the king gone. Scared, she spun around, looking for him. He was still nowhere in sight, not even lurking in the shadows in the corner of her room. Instead, upon a bureau, she spotted a familiar sword.

Sofie walked over to it, letting her hand reach out to it. Perhaps she could use it for self-defense.

" _That's not yours to use!"_ the king's voice snapped before Sofie even touched it. " _It's mine and mine alone!"_

Sofie quickly turned towards the voice, but the king was again nowhere to be seen. Looking back at the weapon, she found it missing and grew anxious with it not in her sight. It could strike her at any moment.

" _Sofie…"_ she heard a weak, male voice call out to her. She had not heard that voice in years. It was the voice she wished for during all her years in the orphanage. She wished it was there to sooth her when she injured herself or to sing to her when she had trouble falling asleep. Sofia still wished for it today.

"Papa?" Sofie called back. "Papa, where are you?"

She heard a clatter on the floor. Looking where she heard the noise, she spotted the sword on the ground next to her father's dying body. "Papa!" Sofie cried as he reached up to her with the bloody hand that once covered his stomach wound.

Rushing over, she kneeled beside him. She could feel the cold floor on her legs and her body welcomed the cooling sensation on her burning body. She shook her head as tears fell onto him.

" _Be careful,"_ her father urged with his dying breath. His arm dropped into the pool of blood that laid around her. She looked down and found it on her dress and hands.

" _I did that to him. I can do it to you,"_ the king's voice warned her.

"No," she said, defiantly standing up. "I won't let you!"

" _Oh, is that so?"_ he questioned mockingly. " _Try me!"_

 _Try me._

 _Try me._

 _Try me._

 _Sofie…_

Her father's voice was the last voice she could make out before a million exploded in her head. They were screaming at her, every single voice she had ever heard.

There was her father's voice, begging her to be safe. There were all the voices of her childhood friends screaming in terror as their parents were killed and houses burned to ashes. Sofie could hear the flames roaring in destruction. There was the king and his menacing laughter that came along with his evil smile and threats. She could hear the queen's pettiness in her voice, the laughter of the other maids, and the laughter of the children from the orphanage.

She looked down at her stomach where she found a gaping stab wound and blood dripping out of her. The voices still did not stop. She clutched her head, trying to suppress them. Looking up, she saw the curtains on fire. Sofie screamed and fell to her knees.

"Stop!" she begged between her gasps for air, between her sobs. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire, too. She could no longer remain upright. Sofie fell over, her eyes closed by the time she hit the floor.


	21. Chapter 21: Recovery

**Chapter 21: Recovery**

There was a cooling sensation on Sofie's forehead. She welcomed it as she moved her arms out from underneath the warm blankets, her eyes still shut.

"Sofie," she heard a voice say. It was a woman's this time.

Still, it startled her. She sat up quickly and felt the coolness from her forehead leave. Looking down in her lap Sofie found a damp cloth. Then, she put a hand to her forehead as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Careful, Dear. You mustn't rise so quickly," Sofie looked over to see it was Carlotta sitting in a chair besides her bed. The housekeeper rose from her seat and took the cloth away from her to rinse it out. "Now, lay back down."

Sofie did as told. "What happened," she asked, confused as Carlotta placed the cloth back on her forehead.

"Ariel told me you had a rough start to your morning and spilled tea on Eric. She sent me to come find you. When I arrived to your room a guard was by the door saying he heard you scream. We found you unconscious on the floor," she explained. "Do you remember how you ended up like that?"

It all came back to her: the king, the sword, the blood, and her father's body. A hand went to her own stomach. Finding no blood like she had imagined, she came to the conclusion that she had passed out from being so overwhelmed. She recalled barely being able to breathe as well.

Of course, she could not explain all that to Carlotta; she would think she was insane. "I tripped," Sofie lied.

"On what, Dear?" Carlotta asked, looking back at the middle of the room. She found nothing that might have caused her to fall.

"My own feet," Sofie replied before adding, "I think I hit my head, too."

Carlotta put a hand to the girl's cheek. "That would explain why you're so warm, but were you okay before you tripped? Ariel told me you seemed out of it this morning."

Sofie thought back to her dream. She couldn't explain that either, so she chose another lie. "I woke up dizzy. I didn't really feel well."

"Perhaps that's why you tripped so easily. Is anything else wrong?"

The girl shook her head, but looking at the middle of the room she saw the blood again. Nausea rushed over her, so she shut her eyes in an attempt to combat it.

"Oh, you poor thing. You need to rest," Carlotta ordered.

Sofie sat up, slowly this time, shaking her head. "But I have to return to my duties. I didn't even get started!"

The housekeeper gently pushed the girl to lay back down. "I'll have everything taken care of, so you don't have to worry about anything. Ariel told me she wants you to rest as long as you need to."

Sofie accepted that she would not be returning to her work that day; there was no use arguing with Carlotta, and, quite honestly, she did not feel as though she had the strength to. However, she was determined to return the next day. She did not come all this way just to lose her job and opportunity. "I'll be able to work tomorrow," she declared.

"With the spill you took, I want you resting for the rest of the week," the woman said.

"But really, I'm fine!" Sofie protested.

Carlotta shook her head. "No, Dear. I think we both know you need to rest."

Sofie did not argue back. At least that meant she would not have to face the king if she was hidden away in her room. Of course, that did not stop him from coming in during her dream. She felt her heart beat faster.

A knock on the door distracted her from her thoughts.

"That's probably Ariel," Carlotta said before calling the person in.

She was correct, but the queen was also followed by the king. Sofie froze upon seeing him. He did not carry the sword with him like in her visions, but that did not ease her fears. The sword lived within him and he could conjure it up whenever he needed it to kill her.

Her eyes shifted to Ariel once she began speaking. "I'm glad to see you're okay. I was worried about you."

"Thank you," Sofie said.

"The poor girl had a spout of dizziness causing her to trip and hit her head," Carlotta informed them. "She's fine, though, just needs some rest."

Eric spoke up after taking his hands out of his pockets. He did not necessarily want to come and check up on the girl, as he felt an awkward tension hung between the two, but he thought that she was having a bad day and he was a part of it. Eric figured this would be the right thing to do. "It's good to hear you're doing better."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Sofie managed to get out, although she wished her voice was louder and sounded more confident. Instead, she sounded weak, like she was about to face her execution.

"I just wanted to make sure you know there is no harm done with that spilt tea," he said.

She nodded, avoiding his eyes. "I understand. I'm sorry again."

He held up a hand. "Like I said, it's alright. There's no need to apologize anymore. I just appreciate everything you've done for us, with the miscarriage and everything. Ariel really needed a friend to help her get through all the steps of the day."

Sofie grew confused. Why was he being nice to her? Perhaps he didn't actually know for sure it was her who tried to kill him, but she was sure he suspected. She forced a yawn, hoping Eric might take the hint to hurry things along to let her rest.

He did. "Of course. You must be exhausted, and I know my wife has a few words for you. Lord knows how long that will take."

"Eric!" Ariel exclaimed.

He laughed. "I hope you feel better,' he said to Sofie before exiting the room.

Ariel approached her. "No one appreciates what you do more than me. I think you deserve a break."

"I don't think I have a choice but to rest," Sofie said.

"No, you don't. I'll be fine for a few days. Maybe, I'll even take care of you!"

Their attention was turned to the door as it was suddenly opened wide. "The boys just told me what happened. Are you okay?" Philip asked. He then paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry I didn't knock."

Ariel smiled. "I'll give you two some privacy."

She left, offering Philip a smile. Carlotta then rose from her chair, offering it to the officer.

"I've had a really bad morning," Sofie told him with a small smile one he sat down. She was really happy he had showed up so unexpectedly.

"I'll listen."

Sofie paused a moment to get her story straight. "I woke up not feeling well; I was dizzy. Then, the first thing I did this morning was bump into the king and spill tea all over him. I came back here to calm myself down, but I guess I was too flustered and still dizzy that I tripped and hit my head."

"But you're okay, right?" Philip asked.

Sofie nodded. "Yeah, but they want me to rest the rest of the week."

"I think that's reasonable," he commented, leaning back in the chair. "Was the king nice about spilling the tea? I would imagine he was. He's not the angry type when it comes to that kind of stuff."

"He actually came he a few moments ago to make sure I was okay."

"That sounds like him. At least the rest of your day can't be terrible if you're just lying in bed," Philip said.

 _You'd be surprised,_ Sofie thought, looking around the room. Before that morning, Sofie would have been thankful for the solitude of her room, but now, the thought of staying in a room where her nightmares lived frightened her. Of course, she couldn't do anything about it. For her whole life it seemed as though she was trapped and alone in a frightening room.

Philip turned in his chair to face Carlotta. "May I come back tonight to visit her when my shift's over?"

"As long as she's not asleep, that's fine," she smiled.

He turned back to face Sofie. "I have to go. I kind of left without permission, but I had to make sure you were okay."

Sofie smiled at the thought of him coming back, but she also doubted he would. Still, she parted, "I'll see you then."

Philip gave a bright smile before leaving. Sofie watched as the door closed and it became just Carlotta and her again.

"I think it's best you try and get some sleep," Carlotta suggested.

"I will. Thank you," Sofie replied, watching her leave too.

 _Sleep,_ she scoffed. It was unlikely she would get any tonight. She did not want her nightmares invading her again.

She laid back. It was going to be a long couple of days.


	22. Chapter 22: Promises

**Chapter 22: Promises**

Carlotta had closed the curtains before she left, but the bright sun still managed to shine bits of light through the sides of the closed curtains. Sofie's room took on a soft, pink glow as it began to set. Even though leaving them open would allow for too much light to enter the room, Sofie wished Carlotta had kept them open. Then, she would have direct access to the window as mean of escape in case the king happened to attack her.

She glanced over at the farthest corner of the room, already darkened from the lack of light. It was getting late, and Philip still had not come. At that point, Sofie figured he would never come.

Of course, she wasn't disappointed. Sofie never expected him to come. She learned long ago to not become excited for things, especially when being excited included trusting people with their promises.

Still, there was a part of her wishing against her brain's warning. Maybe Philip really did want to come and visit her, but he got caught up in something. Maybe he got stuck on his shift, but was thinking about how much he wanted to be with her.

The maid closed her eyes tight to force the idea out of her head. _Don't be ridiculous,_ she told herself.

She sat up to fluff the pillow behind her and shift it back up against the headboard. Sighing, she leaned back and looked around the room, bored. Sofie didn't know how she would spend the next few days cooped up in her room like this. She glanced over to her nightstand at the book Ariel had brought earlier which her eyes had grown tired of reading.

She almost wished she could fall asleep, but Sofie was determined not to for fear of her nightmares coming back... or worse.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

Sofie glanced at the door and stared at it in disbelief. She almost wondered if she should call the person in. Her mind wondered if perhaps it was the king coming for her, but she found her heart skipping a beat and calling the person in at the prospect of it being Philip.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened to reveal Philip, just as her heart wished. He wore a lopsided grin on his face, happy to finally see Sofie at the end of his day, and Sofie herself smiled brightly upon the realization that Philip _had_ come to visit her. The guard walked into her room and pulled a chair alongside her bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat.

His question snapped her back to reality. Sofie tried to contain her happiness. She replied, trying not to sound too excited, but yet grateful, "Better, especially now."

Philip smiled, proud he could do something to brighten her rough day. "I'm glad to hear that. You really gave me a scare earlier. I didn't know what to think when the boys told me they found you unconscious."

"You were really that worried?" she questioned.

"Of course," Philip responded. He looked down at his shoes in deep thought before continuing. "I mean, it's no secret that I enjoy your company. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

The guard looked up to see Sofie let out a melancholy sigh. It warmed her heart to hear him say he cared for her and wanted no harm to come to her―unlike a certain king―but at the same time, not only did it scare her, as if she couldn't trust his kind word, it felt wrong.

He caught onto her sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Why me?" she questioned. She had been wondering this ever since he first showed interest in her. No one should ever love her. "Of all the other young maids, why is it me you want to spend time with? You should want to spend your time with someone who graces everyone with her sweetness, not the outcast everyone hates."

"But all those other maids are obnoxious and rude, not to mention they're not as pretty," Philip smiled.

She ignored his comment. "I don't want your company if it's because you pity me. I know I'm often sad and don't act normal. Besides, the rumors should have scared you off."

"Why? Are you truly the daughter of the most wanted criminal?"

"No…"

"Then I'm not worried about any of those rumors. And I don't pity you. I admire you," Philip confessed.

Sofie found herself taken back. The other maids were jealous of her, but no one ever admired her. " _Admire_ me? Why?"

"I think you're so strong. You see things differently, you don't conform to the norm, and I don't like the norm. It's too unfair."

"You think I'm _strong_?" she questioned. How could she be strong when she panicked over a nightmare, passed out from fright of the king, couldn't stand up to him, and, at times, felt like she could hardly stand up to herself.

He nodded. "So strong. You're not bothered by all the cruel words aimed towards you, and you started with so little, but managed to work up to a high position so you could be useful to society. You have every reason to be bitter with the world, but you're not."

Sofie felt a pang of guilt hit her when Philip talked about her being good. She wished he was right, but he was so very wrong. Bitterness was all she felt.

Reaching out to take her hand in his, Philip continued. "Sofie, I will do anything for you. I will move Heaven and Earth for you. You deserve the best; you deserve happiness. I want to help you achieve that, and I'll protect you at all costs."

"Promise?" she pressed. He had kept his promise to come visit her, but she wanted to hear it one more time.

"Promise."

Suddenly, Sofie felt better. Everything would be okay. This could all come to an end. Philip promised he would do _anything_ for her.


	23. Chapter 23: Begging

**Chapter 23: Begging**

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Philip asked as they entered the garden. It was late at night so the details of each flower could barely be seen, but their scent was still present. He let his fingers brush over the petals of a rose, careful to not brush against the beautiful flower's dangerous thorns. Glancing over at Sofie, he took note of the serious look on her face and wondered even more why she wanted to talk.

She held his hand as she hurriedly guided him to a nearby bench. When they sat down, she took both his hands in hers. "Last week, you promised you would do anything for me. Did you really mean that?"

"Of course," he nodded with a smile, thinking back to that night. "I like to keep my promises."

Sofie smiled. That was what she needed to hear. She felt her heart beat faster in anticipation. "You'll do _anything?_ "

"Anything."

"I need you to kill the king for me," she found herself blurting out. She began picturing herself asking this of him ever since Philip promised he would do anything to help and protect her.

Philip, taken back by the request, blinked a few times before responding. " _Kill?"_ was all he could question.

She nodded, a small smile grew on her face at the thought of his death even though she anxiously waited for his response.

"You mean _King Eric?_ "

The maid nodded. "He's the only king I'm worried about."

" _Worried about?_ Sofie, are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand to her forehead to see if fever was taking her. Her head was cool.

"I need the king dead. I don't feel safe around him, Philip," Sofie looked up to him, her bright green eyes begging him.

Philip found himself trying frantically to collect his thoughts. "Did he do something to you? Did he threaten you?" he asked, although, he thought of the king as a good man and doubted even the notion of it.

Sofie rose from the garden bench and began to pace back and forth as she made her explanation. "I told you how my father was killed. The former king was an evil man, and even after he died, he left his evil in the world. It's still in his blood, in the royal bloodline. It's in King Eric, and we have to rid it from this world. There are some other relatives left. If the king dies without an heir―and we're taking Queen Ariel out of the situation here―the crown would go to his second cousin, but he isn't a direct descendant to the former king and wouldn't possess such evil."

"You're the one who poisoned him," Philip accused, putting everything together. He never once thought it had been his Sofie. It was no wonder she had gone undetected. If she never told him about her plot, he never would have guessed.

Sofie nodded, admitting to the truth. "That's my preferred method, which is why I need your help. A crook sold me the wrong type of poison to use. It worked too fast, so he wasn't able to eat enough to kill him. I can't risk trying to poison him again, not when everyone is so aware."

"And the miscarriage?" he questioned. He wondered if she thought the baby was evil too. The miscarriage was sudden, and Sofie was with the queen when she fell.

"The baby was an unforeseen complication in my plan. I couldn't let it live seeing as though it would carry the same evil. It was easier to take care of now rather than...later."

Philip finally rose from his seat to confront her. "Sofie, the royals were looking forward to that child. It was innocent, and so is the king. He was just a child when your father was killed. You can't blame him. There is no evil!"

"Yes, there is! Can't you see it in his eyes?" she pointed at hers as she explained. "They're the same shade of blue as the jewels that lined the handle of the sword used to murder my father! He _is_ the sword! Every time he looks at me he's holding it to my throat."

"You need to sit down," Philip took her and began guiding her back to the bench. He had no idea what mad thoughts had been going through her mind the past few months.

"No I don't," she protested as she broke out of his grasp. "What I need is for you to do this for me."

Philip sighed, not wishing to be placed in this position. He cared for Sofie, was worried for her, and wanted nothing more to be able to help her, but as a guard sworn to protecting the royals, he certainly couldn't do what she was asking.

He started off gently, "I know I told you I would do anything for you, but I can't kill the king."

"You promised me!" Sofie exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down!" Philip hushed, looking over his shoulder. "You'll get us both in trouble."

She spoke again in a quieter voice. "You promised me you would do anything I need because I deserve your help. I _need_ this done and I _deserve_ this. I have waited my whole life for this, and I see now I can't do it myself."

"And I also made a vow―a promise―to protect the king. I can't betray him. Killing him goes against all my morals. I should be convicted of treason for even speaking of the notion, let alone not turning you in," Philip said.

'You're not going to arrest me?" Sofie asked, stepping closer to him and batting her eyes. "Why? If this is something you do not wish to happen, then why aren't you trying to stop it?"

"Because you don't need to be punished; you need help. You're-"

Sofie laughed giddily as she grabbed onto his arms. "I knew you would help me!"

Philip shook his head. "No… Sofie…"

"All you have to do is slit his throat. It won't make much noise and he won't be able to cry out. Now, you have to do it when no one's around, and you're a guard, so you'll be able to see when the time is right. When the job is done, leave him for dead. Someone can find him later," Sofie explained the plan she had been creating in her head. It underwent revisions as she saw her plans change, but finally she felt as though she could get it right.

"Sofie-"

She put a hand up to him, shushing him. "I know what you're going to say and I have it all figured out. We can flee the country together if you want. Of course, then we might be suspicious, so we could stay and weather it out together," she grabbed his hand. "I can be your alibi. They didn't suspect me the first time. They believe whatever I say. Besides, the queen will be too thankful for me comforting her to accuse me."

"It's all still too risky. They'll suspect it's an inside job, and they'll want to question each and every guard. I'm not friends with the king like you are with the queen. I don't have an out even if she believes you," Phillip explained.

Sofie laughed. "You think I'm friends with the queen? She might think so, but I certainly refuse to call that spoiled brat my friend. She never did anything for me. Besides, didn't you say you've spent time with the king too?"

"Yeah, he's spared with the boys and me before, but that's more of a part of the job than any personal choice. We aren't friends either."

"All the more reason to kill him then!" she exclaimed. "Please, do this for us―for you and me. Don't think about them."

Philip ran his hand down the side of her cheek. "I care about you, and I wish I could help you the way you want, but I can't. I will get you the help you need, though, so you aren't so...troubled, and so you feel safe."

"I'm not insane!" Sofie exclaimed. "But if you think I'm _troubled_ , it's because of _him!_ I won't feel safe again until he's dead, and you're the _only_ one who can help."

Without warning she slid down his arms and down to her knees. Philip thought she had fallen, but then realized she was begging. "Please. This is the last thing I need to do. Please, I beg of you. Please, please help me. You'll the only one who can. I have no one else to save me from the evil in this castle. _Please."_

Philip kneeled down in front of her and took her hands in his. "Calm down," he begged her, but only heard her continue to repeat " _please"_ over and over again.

"Listen to me!" he exclaimed, louder than he intended. He took her head in his hands and forced her to look at him. There was desperation, sadness, and fear in her eyes, all of which he began to think was all she was ever able to feel.

He sighed. "Fine. If this is what will make you feel safe, I'll do it."

"What?" she asked, hoping she heard him correctly.

"I'll do it. I'll kill the king," he said with confidence in his voice, but he wished he had never fallen for her.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, hugging him with such force she knocked him from his kneeling position. She kissed his cheek before hugging him again.

Wrapping an arm delicately around her, Philip smiled, but it did not wash away the agony of knowing what he now had to do.


	24. Chapter 24: Betrayal

**Chapter 24: Betrayal**

Philip walked through the halls, hoping to spot who he was looking for. Finally, he came into his view.

"Jacob!" he called out to the messenger boy. Taking a sealed letter out of his pocket, he handed it to the boy. "Please deliver this, and be quick about it. It's dire."

The boy took it in his hands. He held many important letters during his time at the castle, but none had seemed as important as this one. It was the way the guard spoke of it and the look in his eyes that proved its importance. However, he couldn't help but take notice its recipient was usually not regarded as high importance. Still, he would deliver it. "Yes, Sir."

Philip sighed as he watched the messenger boy walk down the hall to his new destination and out of sight. The guard's next job was the most important one, and it was the one he had been dreading.

The guard wished he had never developed feelings for Sofie. He wished she had never involved him in her plot to kill the king, and he wished she was not insane. He should be angry at her for manipulating him into this situation, but yet, he did not. This was not her fault.

Sooner than he wished, Philip approached the king's office. That afternoon, he was assigned post outside the office, by himself, and earlier he overheard the king mention he had a lot of paperwork to get done in there, by himself.

The guard waiting for Philip smiled when he saw his relief and gave a quick nod of acknowledgment before leaving. Philip watched the former guard disappear down the hall before he moved onto his own business. As soon as the former guard was gone, Philip took a deep breath, slowly turned the handle with a shaky hand, and entered the office.

He eyes went immediately to the king's, taking note of the icy blue color Sofie had described to him a few nights ago. The king rose from his desk with a puzzled look upon seeing his guest.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I have urgent news for you," Philip began.

"What is it?"

Philip realized his hand rested on the handle of his sword in its scabbard by his side, and his grip had grown tighter. Thinking of his sword's handle and looking into the king's eyes only made him think of Sofie, poor Sofie.

He focused his thoughts back to the task in hand. His tongue felt tied, and had to force himself to talk. "I'm here in regards to the queen's maid, Sofie Lauritsen."

"What news do you have of her?" the king asked, growing very curious about his wife's companion.

Philip swallowed hard. He broke eye contact with the king and nervously glanced around the room. What he was about to say would change his relationship with Sofie. He determinedly looked back at him.

"I have reason to believe she's not of stable mind." Philip said, almost wishing he could take it back. He had to go through with it now. It was what was right.

"What do you mean?"

"She's grown close to me and felt comfortable enough to confess some things to me. Sir, Miss Lauritsen is the one who poisoned you, and she pushed the queen down the stairs to cause her miscarriage. She wants the royal line to end," he explained.

Eric felt his stomach churn.

Then, he felt anger boil inside of him. He never thought he had a bad vibe about that maid, but he never had a good one either. Now, he worried about how much his wife trusted her, when, in fact, she was dangerous. "Is she still within the castle?" he asked as he left his office, heading for the captain of the guards to order her arrest. Philip followed besides him, following his quick pace.

"Yes, but, Sir, you need to be careful. She's snapped. She even went as far as to ask me to kill you, but I can't do that."

"Thank you," Eric took a moment to thank his guard genuinely. He was glad he could trust his men and more than glad he did not have to go through another assassination attempt. "Do you know where she is at the moment? I need to make sure Ariel is safe."

Philip nodded as they headed into the captain's office. "She's in the laundry room tending to some of the queen's gowns. I imagine she'll be there for a while and won't be expecting us."

* * *

Sofie waited in the queen's bedchambers, straightening the room up. There wasn't much to do, but she had to make sure the room looked spotless so the queen would be impressed. No one would put the blame on her today, especially when she had Philip doing her dirty work.

She opened the curtains while humming to herself and tied them open, making sure that they laid perfectly along the side of the tall window. It was while doing so she heard three knocks on the door.

"Miss Lauritsen? Are you in there?" asked a young, male voice.

Sofie raised an eyebrow as she walked over and opened up the door. Waiting outside the door was the messenger boy.

He held out the letter in his hand. "Officer Frandsen wanted me to deliver this to you."

"Thank you," she said as she took the letter, then shut the door. Taking slow steps back into the center of the room, she stared down at the curious letter and contemplated opening the letter. It was unexpected and rattled her nerves. If it carried bad news, she did not want to read it, but despite the feeling that it was, she brushed it off and began to open the letter.

Slipping her finger under the seal, she popped it up and took the letter out slowly, as if it might hurt her. She unfolded it and began to read:

 _Dear Sofie,_

 _I cannot deny that I deeply care for you, but yet, I cannot love someone whose hopes and dreams can only be accomplished by means of murder. I should hate you, but instead, I offer you mercy, because I know behind all the damage from being lonely and scared, you are sweet and loving, perhaps enough to love me for who I am, not my ability to perform your deadly task._ _Of the promises we made each other, I am glad I am able to keep my promise to protect you._ _As you read this, I am upholding my duty and protecting the king, but in an act of mercy, I am diverting the guards to the laundry room. Use this extra time to escape. Act quickly, not foolishly._

 _~Philip_

Sofie stared at the paper in disbelief. For a brief moment she thought she had read it wrong, but after rereading it she was hit with that sinking feeling she always felt when someone let her down. Why had she tried to trust someone? She had no one to begin with, and she didn't want anyone now. She hated everyone.

She crumbled up the paper and threw it on the floor in anger, upset her plan had not just failed, but backfired. Walking over to the curtains she had just taken time to delicately fix, she ripped them off the wall and threw them down. The queen had everything. She didn't need those.

Grabbing a firm hold onto the sheets of the bed, she ripped those off as well. In her action, a wooden chair besides the bed was knocked over. She took the time to knock over another one. Then, her eyes were set on the jewelry box in front of her. Placing her two hands behind it she slid it off the table and watched as its contents slid out of their place and landed all over the floor among the decorative glass pieces that had broken off the box and shattered.

Looking down at what she had done, Sofie ran her fingers through her now messy hair. Philip, as useless as he was, was right about one thing. She had to get out of the castle as soon as she could.

Sofie opened the door and exited the room, looking around before heading down the hall. She imagined men running about and looking for her, their guns already aimed. She pictured bloody, blue-jeweled swords pointed at her, and fire everywhere. Instead, the hall was calm; she saw only a guard stood at the far end of the hall looking straight ahead, and she could hear someone calmly coming up the main staircase.

To avoid as many people as possible, she headed towards the servant staircase, despite gaining the privilege to never use the horrible staircase again. Sofie opened the old door to it and picked up her skirts as she headed down the creaking uneven, wooden stairs. There was no one in the stairwell until she got to the last flight.

"Sofie? Are you okay?" asked a laundry maid in an almost mocking tone as she stopped and blocked the narrow steps upon seeing Sofie.

"Move, twit!" Sofie shouted as she pushed her out of the way. The maid hit her head on the wall before falling back down the few steps she had already climbed. It was not a long fall. Sofie doubted she was seriously hurt, despite looking back to find her unconscious.

Sofie stopped in front of the exit to the main floor to straighten out, reminding herself to move briskly, not suspiciously, but before she opened the door, she stopped. How did the maid know she was not alright?

She held a hand up to her check to find them soaked with tears. Then, upon seeing them, left out and unexpected sob. When had she began to cry? Sofie supposed she had grown so used to crying it became normal for her. She was always holding back tears.

Desperately, Sofie tried to wipe them away, but they would never leave. Finally, she gave up. It would be a short walk down to the beach. Then, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing her. After making her way down the beach, she would decide where to go from there.

Almost reluctantly, she left the secluded stairwell, wishing she could stay there forever. Taking a right, she was getting close to her exit. Luckily, few people roamed the hall, and the ones who did see her never _really_ saw her. For once, she was glad she was invisible.

Of course, there was one _obnoxious_ person who would spot her.

"Sofie!" exclaimed the queen cheerfully. Her tone changed once she saw her maid's tear-stained cheeks. "What's wrong?"

The maid marched past her, pushing her away. "Not now!"

The queen grabbed onto her arm in an attempted to stop her. "Is everything alright? What happened?"

"I have to go. Just leave me alone, _please_ ," Sofie begged before escaping the queen's grasp.

Needless to say, Sofie was glad when she made it out to the beach. Where she would go from there she was still figuring out. She wished she did not have to leave and give up so soon, but she was not about to let the king take her freedom away too. If anyone would do that, she would do it herself.


	25. Chapter 25: Runaway

**Chapter 25: Runaway**

Ariel watched with concern as Sofie rushed off. She wanted to chase after her, but by the way Sofie sounded, it seemed as though she needed space. Ariel would ask her about it later.

She was still musing over this when she heard Eric's voice. She looked behind to find him rushing over to her with many guards trailing behind him.

"There you are! When I heard you were out on the beach I was worried," he said as he embraced her.

"I'm fine," she reassured. "But what's happening?"

"It's your lady's maid, Sofie. It's been discovered she's been plotting to kill me," Eric informed, still holding her. He knew she would be disappointed, and probably deny the fact.

Ariel was taken back by the accusations of her friend. "Sofie? No, that can't be true."

Eric nodded. "She used your friendship to get away with poisoning me. And the miscarriage, Ariel, she pushed you down the stairs. You didn't trip."

"Now she tried to enlist the help of one of my men to do her dirty work, Your Majesty," added one of the guards. "He was the one who turned her in."

Ariel placed a hand on her stomach after hearing about her miscarriage. "He mustn't be telling the truth. Sofie... she… she would never," Ariel said in disbelief. How could someone who claimed to be her friend hurt her family?

"Ma'am, Officer Frandsen is one of my best men. He would never lie about that," said the guard.

"I guess that's why she was so upset when she rushed past me."

"When did she come past?" the guard ask.

"Just a few moments ago. She was heading that way," Ariel pointed. "She seemed upset. I tried asking what was wrong, but she wouldn't respond. Now I know why," she reluctantly acknowledged.

Using their new information, the guards left in that direction. "This way, men."

Ariel grabbed Eric's hand. "You're not going with them, right? If this is all true, she's trying to kill you. You have to be safe, too."

He shook his head. "I'm not."

"I just don't understand why she would do this to us," Ariel said.

"Officer Frandsen said she hated my bloodline because of my father. Her father was killed during the massacre and she blames my father for that, with reason, I suppose. But Frandsen said she became so obsessed with trying to end the 'evil that lived within me' it caused her to go insane," Eric explained. "She belongs in an asylum, not here as your lady's maid, but she manipulated everyone."

"Is that what will happen to her? She'll be put into an asylum to seek help?" Ariel asked.

"No. she'll be sentenced to death for treason."

"Oh," Ariel did not know if she wanted Sofie to be put to death. Yes, she took her baby, and Ariel wanted justice for that along with being sure Sofie would not be able to hurt her husband ever again, but Ariel knew what grief could do to someone. Maybe, deep inside her, Sofie was just a sad, little girl who had lost her father unjustly, and that had taken her over. Perhaps there was another way to solve the problem.

"Since it seems like she's not too far ahead, I doubt it will be long until they catch her. They would have had her sooner had she been in the laundry room like Frandsen thought," Eric pondered. "I guess she left it for some reason and we just missed her."

They started walking back down the hall. Ariel wasn't sure where they were going, but she figured Eric would want her close by, so she followed. "I still can't believe I left her get this close into our life. It's my fault. Even you doubted her a little."

"Don't blame yourself," Eric replied. Guilt was the last thing he wanted his wife to feel. "If anyone's to blame, it's my father. It seems like I inherited his crown and his messes. I never thought his massacre would come back and haunt me."

"At least you're alive," she told him, before wondering, "Did she want me dead, too?"

Eric thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Since you weren't a descendant of my father, you didn't have the 'evil' in you. I wouldn't imagine she wanted to dead, but with her insanity, I wouldn't be surprised if she went on a killing spree. I feel so much better knowing you're safe now."

"Do you feel better enough to let me go check on Carlotta? She trusted Sofie, too. She must be upset about all this. I'll meet you…"

"With the guards," he finished. "I want to be the first to hear their findings, but I can come with you."

"No, no, it's fine," Ariel insisted. "Besides, Carlotta will rush down to make sure you're okay the second I tell her where you are. We'll be down in a bit."

Eric nodded in agreement. With Lauritsen out of the castle, it would be safe inside, the guards were making sure of that, and Ariel was right. Carlotta would double and triple check to see if he was alright. "Don't be long."

"I won't," she promised him before parting ways. She began walking up the staircase while watching Eric head his way. Then, as soon as he was out of sight, Ariel began back down the stairs and towards the stables. She'd need her horse if she hoped to reach Sofie before the guards.

* * *

Jacob was in the stables pondering over the note he delivered from Officer Frandsen to Miss Lauritsen. It was strange that the "dire" letter had to be delivered to her as the officer turned her in. He wondered what it contained and what made it so dire, but it was not his place to wonder. Jacob figured it was probably part of the officer's act to keep her thinking things were fine.

It was when Jacob was feeding his horse he saw the queen rush in and begin readying her horse. He could only guess she was heading out, but she appeared alone. With what he heard about Miss Lauritsen, Jacob knew it would be unwise for her to head out unprotected. Despite only being a messenger boy to run messages around the castle and into town, he advised the queen to stay inside the castle. She did not listen, though, and instead took off on her own.

The boy took it upon himself to search out the king or a high ranking officer. The guards' headquarters was the most logical place to find either of them, and lucky for Jacob, everyone he needed was right there.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" he called out as he entered the room.

The king stopped the conversation he was having with a guard and looked up at from the map they were looking at. "What is it, Jacob?"

"The queen! She came into the stables, took her horse, and left. I tried to tell her she should stay in the castle, but she ignored me. She's leaving the grounds unprotected!" he explained.

The king pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He never should have left her alone. Now, she was probably going after Lauritsen, and he had no idea if Ariel understood she couldn't trust her.


	26. Chapter 26: Finding Mercy

**Chapter 26: Finding Mercy**

Ariel realized it would be much more of a challenge to find Sofie than she thought. She had to stay ahead of the guards, but couldn't get caught by the guards either. They would send her right back to the castle. It was almost as if she was fleeing the guards too.

She didn't know where to find Sofie. Ariel simply started by heading up the beach, which appeared to be what the guards had done, too, but Sofie wouldn't have stayed on the beach. She had to have gone somewhere else, but where?

Fleeing the kingdom was what Ariel imagined Sofie wanted to do most, but that would be impossible to do with everyone on the lookout for her. Hiding until everything died down would be her next option, but even that would be tricky. Who would take her in?

No one, because Sofie wouldn't let anyone take her in. She was too scared.

The girl had no allies, no place to hide, and could not flee. Ariel imagined she felt hopeless and bound to get caught. Where would that leave her wanting to go?

Her eye's trailed up to the cliffs that stood above the ocean lapping onto the rocks. Anyone could certainly fall to their death from that height.

Ariel guided her horse up the path to the cliffs. It wasn't long before she spotted a girl kneeling next to the edge, looking out. Her shoulders shook as if she was crying.

The queen dismounted her horse and began slowly walking up the rest of the distance in an attempt to not scare the girl. Sofie then heard her footsteps and turned around, jumping to her feet before moving closer to the edge, threatening Ariel to come closer.

"Sofie!" Ariel called out. "Don't jump!"

"Go away!" Sofie responded. She had not expected Ariel to come after her, but she wasn't surprised. Ariel was always trying to ruin her moments.

"Let's just talk about this-"

Sofie furiously shook her head, tears still spilling out of her eyes. "No! Talking doesn't do anything. I've heard so much talk all my life, but nothing has ever been fixed! No one ever cares enough to do so."

"I care," Ariel expressed.

Sofie mockingly laughed. "No, you don't. All you care about it that _evil_ husband of yours."

"What Eric's father did all those years ago was wrong, but Eric was so young. He didn't have a part in it," she tried to reason. "Eric isn't evil, Sofie. He's the sweetest man if you would only see that."

"You are so dumb!" Sofie exasperatedly declared. "Your husband may not have played a role in the massacre, but his father raised him, no doubtfully ingraining his own evil concepts into him. I did you a favor by killing your baby, too."

Ariel tensed at the mention of her child, but even though she wanted to, she wasn't going to mention how Sofie caused her miscarriage. That might only make things worse. Instead, Ariel let Sofie continue her rant.

"And you're so dumb you couldn't even see me scheming underneath your nose," Sofie continued. "I must have been _really_ important to you if I was so _invisible_."

"You weren't invisible. I-"

Sofie cut her off, not wishing to hear her sorry excuse. "Well, then you only saw what you wanted to see―a sweet girl you could play dress up with."

"I was just trying to be nice to you."

"It's true, you were nice to me. You were the only person who has been nice to me in these past years, who has given me kindness and opportunity, but I still _hate_ you. I know you didn't mean any of it! No one ever means it," Sofie looked out at the ocean. "You may have cared, but you never _really_ cared."

"What about Philip? You two have grown close. I'm sure he cares about you," Ariel said, desperately trying to come up with something to stop her. "He doesn't want you to do this."

Sofie's gaze dropped as she slowly shook her head, recalling Philip's letter. "If he didn't want me dead, he wouldn't have turned me in."

"But Sofie, I know your father wouldn't have wanted this," Ariel said.

"You didn't know him!" Sofie lashed out, scaring Ariel. "You never felt his unconditional love, even when you made him mad. You never heard his bedtime stories, or let his songs lull you to sleep. You didn't love him. You didn't know him. To you, he's just a victim whose life should be disregarded now that he's gone."

Ariel sighed and bit her lip. It seemed as though everything she said only made matters worse, and it wouldn't take much for Sofie to step of the cliff. Ariel knew she should hate this girl for coming into her life only to try to take her husband away from her and succeed in taking her unborn child, but yet, Ariel saw how terrible past events hurt her. She was willing to meet in the middle.

"I know I didn't know your father, but I wish I did. He sounds like he was a great man. Now please, please step back," she begged. "No father would want this for his daughter."

"Why? So they can lock me up for the rest of my life, _if_ they don't chose to kill me first?" Sofie asked, stepping closer to the edge.

"Because your father would want you to live, not jump," Ariel responded. "Let's talk about this."

"But if I jump, I can be with him again. I'm going to meet my death anyway..."

* * *

Eric knew he promised Ariel he wouldn't go out searching for Lauritsen, but now he didn't care what happened to her. He was simply trying to find his wife.

It appeared Ariel was following the tracks of the maid and guards, but then it seemed she went off in a new direction. He was hoping she would be closer to the safety of the guards.

It was when they passed a path leading to the top of a cliff that one of Eric's men had spotted a familiar redhead approaching them.

"Ariel!" Eric called out to his wife. He scanned her, and she appeared to be alright. Eric left out a sigh of relief, but still wished to only hold her.

"Eric!" she responded, falling into his open arms.

After a long embraced he cupped her face. "Are you alright? Sofie… Is she..."

"She's gone. She won't try to hurt you again."

* * *

"Benjamin."

Hearing his name called, the man turned around to see a woman in a cloak standing in the doorway. The hood covered her hair, but upon taking it down, he recognized her.

"Queen Ariel, what are you doing out so late?" he asked, setting aside what he was working on.

"I need a ticket for a boat setting sail early in the morning, and it needs to be a passage where they won't ask questions. I don't care about its destination," she explained.

Benjamin walked over to some files, stroking his beard as he looked for what she requested. "Just one? Is everything alright?"

"It's for… a friend."

After looking for another moment, he finally found the ticket he was looking for. Handing it to her, he replied, "Ah. This should do. A one way ticket to Norway. With a little extra money, they won't ask a thing."

* * *

Ariel handed the ticket and bag of coins to Sofie. "Here it is. Your reparation is paid. I don't want to see you back here ever again. I won't ever forget that you took my baby and nearly my husband."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Sofie said quietly, taking the offer. She had seen Ariel's demeanor towards her change since that moment earlier on the cliff.

"I don't want a thanks. I want you gone," Ariel coldly said. She looked out at the rising sun. "I suggest you get going."

Sofie nodded. "Of course, but do you think you could tell Carlotta I'm sorry for everything. I actually appreciate her kindness and everything she's done for me."

Ariel shook her head. She just wanted to get this job done. "This is the only favor I'll do for you. I'm not delivering a message. Besides, you're supposed to be dead."


	27. Chapter 27: In our Hearts

**Chapter 27: In Our Hearts**

Philip was not allowed to participate in the search to capture Sofie and instead was ordered to stay to provide any inside information he thought of. Eventually, after telling the story of his betrayal of her over and over again, all he could do was wait and hope no news of her capture returned.

He remembered nearly jumping out of his seat when the messenger boy had barged in, thinking he either brought news they had caught her already or the information that Philip had sent Sofie a note shortly before turning her in.

Philip hoped nothing would become of that note because assisting in her escape would surely leave him dismissed at the very least. He figured Jacob never thought much of it, seeing as though he had delivered a few notes to Sofie from him before. The note was never brought up.

Philip could also recall the sick feeling in his stomach when he heard she had lunged herself off a high cliff. He really hoped that, despite everything, she would successfully escape the kingdom and start a new life. Her death, he supposed, was probably one of the better endings to this. It was much better than killing the king in cold blood or Sofie getting locked in a cell, wasting away only to be taken to her execution. In the end, he supposed, she was sick and needed a way out, but this wasn't how he hoped she'd find one.

It was odd, how quickly things went back to normal. No one cared to go through the trouble to recover her body from the rocks, so the guards headed back to their regular duties. Philip was ordered to take a day off, and today he was back to his normal duties. He walked past the laundry room as he headed towards his position for that afternoon.

"Perhaps we should have been nicer to her," he overheard one maid say as he walked past the room, and he knew they were talking about Sofie.

"No," said another maid. "That wouldn't have done anything. She was purely insane. Nothing could have helped her."

"That's not true," Philip said, walking into the room and interrupting their conversation. "She was trapped within herself, alone, with nobody to properly express her grief with, and that did drive her insane. You're right, probably nothing could have ended her insanity, but this whole situation could have been avoided. The madness and pain she felt could have been alleviated if you all had been nicer to her. If you tried to get to know her, then maybe you would have spotted the warning signs."

The second maid scoffed. "But she made that impossible. Some girls tried to start a conversation with her, but she brushed them off very ungratefully."

"But I'm sure they didn't try enough to be her friend. You should have tried to been someone she could've trusted, not just someone recklessly forcing themselves on her," Philip explained. He had expected the maid to reply, but instead only saw her eyes widen before dropping into a curtsy. Behind him was the queen.

"Officer Frandsen," she began. "I was just coming to find you. May we speak? Don't worry. I'm having your post covered for a few extra moments."

Philip nodded, then followed her to a private office. He figured this meeting would be about Sofie, as Queen Ariel was aware they knew each other well, though, Philip didn't know why she would want to speak with him. Perhaps it was to thank him for saving her husband.

The queen took a seat and then Philip followed suit, watching as she opened a drawer and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Laying it flat on the table, she turned it so he could read its contents and slid it across the table. Philip's eyes went wide when he saw it.

"I found this in my room," she plainly stated staring down at it, leaving any emotion in her voice unable to be read. "You sent it to Miss Lauritsen to warn her you were turning her in, correct? You aided in her escape."

Philip felt his throat close tighter the longer he stared at the paper. He had heard the queen was furious with her maid and only chased after her to murder Sofie herself.

He swallowed hard before managing, "Yes, Ma'am."

"You are aware this counts as aiding a criminal? Your superiors would not be happy to hear of this. Tell me, why did you help her escape?" she asked.

Philip had been wondering why he helped Sofie since the second he sent the letter. "I felt terrible for her. She was insane, but her insanity, it wasn't her fault. It was everyone else's fault except hers. Sofie felt so lonely and out of place here. I know the consequences for assisting her, but I had to."

"I'm willing to keep this between us if you keep my confession a secret." Ariel offered.

"Of course," Philip responded.

"I helped Sofie escape, too," Ariel watched a confused expression form on his face. "She's not dead, Officer."

Philip was taken back by the statement. Was the queen losing her mind too? All reports came back stating Sofie had killed herself. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I went after her not because, as you've probably been hearing, I wanted to kill her myself, but because I pitied her just enough to want to reason with her. With her state, I felt an execution sentence would be too much, and I couldn't bare to watch her kill herself. Still, she took my baby from me, and I can never forgive her for that. I assisted in faking her death so she could get away until I got her a passage to Norway, which she has successfully boarded. She's sort of unofficially exiled, if you will," Ariel explained.

A smile formed on Philip's face. _Sofie was alive._ "Thank you, Ma'am. I'm sure she really appreciated your kindness."

"I hope so. By right, I shouldn't have done that. Everyone would throw a fit if they found out," Ariel said. "As time goes by, I think I regret it more and more. I think I did it out of denial that she was the one causing all the trouble. I was still being a friend to her when I shouldn't have been."

"Well, I appreciate it," Philip thanked. "I think you did the right thing. What she needed wasn't to die. It was a friend. She needed help, even if she didn't think she wanted it.

Ariel sighed. "I just don't understand. I was a friend to her the whole time. I welcomed her in and practically gave her everything she needed."

"But she didn't need a high rank, she didn't need opportunity, or fancy dresses. Yes, she needed kindness, but what she really needed was for someone to see what was wrong with her. She needed someone to see her suffering. She couldn't manage to ask for help, so she needed someone to force her to get it." He thought for a moment. "Sofie needed someone to stop her."

"She wasn't suffering. Sofie was plotting against me," Ariel argued.

"That was how she handled her suffering. She was scared more than anything. She couldn't even handle her own mind. In her head, she was just trying to live another day. She didn't want to act the way she did. Deep down she wanted to stop, but she didn't know how."

"But she hid it from me," Ariel argued.

"You only saw her so upset and scared in the end when you were _told_ what was wrong. Yes, she hid it from you, but if you were a good friend you would have made yourself see it. She didn't want me seeing it, but I forced myself into her life to keep her company. In fact, you didn't want to see anything was wrong."

Ariel was taken back a moment by his frankness, but in the end she agreed. "Yes, I suppose I didn't. No queen wants to learn they've hired a madwoman as their closest maid. Now, do we have an agreement? Both our mouths are shut?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Thank you very much for your time, Officer."

Philip nodded in acknowledgement before rising from his seat. He began to make his way to the door.

"You could go find her," Ariel said abruptly before he exited the room. She would have never suggested that had she not had this conversation with Philip. "To be with her, of course, seeing as though she can't come back here. She's insane and all alone in a new place. From what you said, it sounds like she needs you if there's any hope for her to survive. I also don't want her hurting anyone else."

Philip turned around and nodded. "I thought about that the moment you said she's still alive. I'm still making up my mind."

"Just make sure you listen to your heart. You don't have to go if you don't want to," the queen reminded.

He sighed. "If only the heart wasn't so complex."


	28. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Ariel smiled at the sun in the sky. There wasn't a cloud to be seen. She smiled at the sight of her husband, wearing smile himself. It seemed it had been too long since she last felt such joy. The past months had been dreadful. Never again would she want to experience any of those events.

She was surprised when Eric suggested they drop everything and go to their hill that afternoon. She had forgotten how she used to beg him to drop his work and go. Still, Ariel eagerly agreed.

It was still warm. The cooler fall temperatures had yet to arrive, or perhaps it was the sun warming her skin making it seem warmer than it was.

A blanket was outstretched across the ground. Ariel laid her head on Eric's lap. After reaching out to pick a piece of grass, she twirled it between her fingers absentmindedly. Eric leaned back, his weight on one hand resting on the ground behind him, the other played with Ariel's hair. They both listened silently to the sound of the ocean, trying to take in this moment of peace.

Eric smiled as he watched Ariel sit up, drop the piece of grass to pick a simple, small buttercup, returning then to her comfortable spot.

"That's a cute flower you got there," he commented.

"Now it's yours," Ariel said, sitting up and placing the yellow flower in his hair. She mischievously smiled. "There. Now you look pretty."

"Why, thank you," he laughed. "Speaking of pretty, didn't you say France was pretty?"

Ariel recalled the conversation they had on the hill months ago before everything had gone astray. "Yeah."

A bright smile formed on Eric's face. He was eager to tell her this. "Well, I think you should have Carlotta pack you some dresses fitted for a trip to France."

"You didn't tell me we had a trip to France coming up," Ariel responded, trying to recall their busy diplomatic schedule.

Her husband shook his head. "We don't. I have yet to schedule it."

"Oh," she sighed. "How busy will we be on it?"

Eric shrugged. "That depends on how many sites you want to see and how much you want to do there."

"You mean we're going simply because we want to?!" she grinned brightly. Then, wrapping her arms around Eric exclaimed, "You're the best husband ever!"

Eric laughed, feeling proud from her exclamation. "I try to be. I know this will make you happy."

She pulled away. "Won't the council be upset when we drop everything and leave? I'm sure Grimsby will lecture you about how important your duties are."

"Nah, Grim won't say a thing about this. Besides, I'm the king. The council will have to accept my decision."

Ariel laughed. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied. "These last few months really reminded me how precious time is. If you want to live spontaneously, we will. We won't worry about creating a new heir just yet. We'll let the people think whenever they want; we know what's true and what isn't. I want to slow down, just for a few more months."

"I like the sound of that. Thank you."

Eric then looked out at the sea. He saw one of his ships returning to dock, and it reminded him of something. "Did I tell you? Officer Frandsen declined my promotion offer."

"Really? Why?" Ariel pondered, though, she knew why the officer would do such a thing.

"He said he was really honored and wished he could accept, but he's planning on moving to Norway. He said he feels he's meant to go there. He's needed there," Eric shrugged. "I'm really going to miss him, but it's his choice. I'm writing a letter of recommendation to send to the king of Norway if Frandsen wishes to join his guard."

Ariel knew it was Sofie who needed him in Norway. She wondered if he would ever find her. "You should keep in touch with him," she offered. That might provide the means for her to keep track of the situation.

"I should," Eric agreed.

"I really hope he finds what he's looking for," Ariel commented. Then, thinking about Sofie, added, "I hope he knows what he's doing."

* * *

A gray layer of clouds cloaked the sky, hiding the sun away. Philip didn't know why he bothered looking out the window of the train; all that could be seen were the raindrops rolling down the window and fog.

He wished he could enjoy his first train ride more, but he was too anxious to arrive at his destination. He hoped this city might give him what he was looking for.

Philip felt the train begin to slow and was able to make out the station they were pulling up to. They came to a stop. Passengers picked up their bags and began to exit. Philip picked his bag us as well before heading down the aisle.

The conductor warned him to watch the wet stairs as he descended. Philip adjusted his hat as the rain began pouring down upon him. He didn't know where exactly to go, but he knew renting a room would be the first step. Walking down the city blocks might provide insight of where to go.

Not once did he ever think he would end up in Norway, practically on a wild-goose chase. His brain wanted to follow the advice given to him to stay at the castle and accept the promotion, but his heart told him otherwise. If there was one thing Sofie taught him, it was that your mind's first thoughts might not be correct. You have to search deep down within your heart for every decision you make.

As he wandered down the streets of this unknown city, its citizen had begun to retreat into their homes and stores to stay dry until the rain lightened. Philip turned onto a new street, and that one too appeared rather empty and quiet. Nothing else could be heard but the steady sound of rain landing in puddle.

But soon Philip became aware of the sound of pouring rain could not hide, the desperate sound of a young woman's heartbreaking sob.

He paused and peered down a dark alley. The woman was sitting under a canopy outstretched from a side building. Though partially shielded from the rain, she was still drenched and clinging onto her cloak trying desperately to gain any warmth from the soaked piece of tattered fabric. A piece of brown hair blew out from under her hood.

She continued to cry. Philip thought that cry almost sounded familiar. Slowly, with a gut feeling, he made his way down the alley. The young woman froze in fear and stopped crying once she heard him approach.

Philip approach her slowly, knowing she was scared. Then, he carefully crouched down to look at her face. "Sofie?"

She looked up at Philip. Her familiar green eyes confirmed she was who he was searching for. And, for once, the rain finally stopped in her life, and Sofie saw a chance of the sun coming out.

 **The End**


	29. Afterword

**Just a heads up, if you clicked the little arrow to go to the latest chapter, it brought you to the afterword. You probably want to read the epilogue first, so go ahead and go back a chapter to read it :)**

First of all, I want to thank you for reading _Checklist_ , and if you enjoyed it I want to give you an even bigger thanks. I've had a lot of fun writing this story. It's bittersweet to see it end.

I began writing this story last February. It's been over a year now, and I feel it's worth noting that I have changed a lot over this year.

It's pretty obvious that I my stories often reflect my feelings, especially my more recent ones, and Checklist has been no exception. In fact, I believe this has to be the most reflective of them. This is because the past year has been rough for me, and there have been times when I have not been in the best place. It was during these moments when I managed to find the strength to manifest it into Sofie.

When I first began this story, Sofie was simply supposed to be evil, wishing only to cause havoc in their lives. Then, as I began to grow more and more frustrated with my own mind, I began to wonder what would be going through Sofie's. Why is she evil? Is she even _evil_ at all?

The answer was simple. She is not evil. There most certainly are people who are born completely evil, who murder with no remorse, but Sofie isn't one of them.

She was once a sweet girl, but the horror of having her father, friends, and home ripped away from her very violently took that innocence and stability away from her. Her PTSD from that event then manifests itself into something along the lines of schizophrenia, in which she feels the world is against her. She feels lonely and feels she can trust no one. Her schizophrenia is leads her to create this idea that the "evil" lives within the royal line, and it is most certainly out to get her. Sofie does not want to be evil. She only knows she needs to survive another day.

All of this is Sofie's mind screaming endlessly at her. It's all in her mind, something she couldn't control any longer. Unfortunately, at this time, approximately the mid 1800's, mental illness was far from understood, and she is left to struggle alone.

But then Philip comes along, and we see Sofie is not evil. Through Philip's somewhat relatable story about his father, he is able to gain Sofie's trust. We then see her open up, just a bit, and we see that despite what her mind tells her to do, her heart is sweet and only wishes to stop. She did not wish to complete the checklist her mind created for her.

Now, what of Ariel and Eric? You probably feel as though I stopped paying attention to their storyline halfway throughout the story. Well, you're right. I didn't mean to, but when you feel miserable, you don't want to write a fluffy chapter about a cute couple. You only want to write about dark, attempted murders, miscarriages, and taking things away from people to ruin their lives because you can't do that in real life so you might as well do it in a fantasy world.

Our couple's storyline was supposed to be about breaking free of the stereotypical "you have to this, this, and this" in life and just live a little. The challenges they faced were supposed to make them realize this.

I hope I did good enough for you all to realize this. In the future, I do plan on editing this story to bring it to its full potential and really bring everything in full. Though I am really happy with this, I'll admit, there are some parts, even with the Sofie scenes, that could use some more attention.

Now, I don't want to spend this time going on and on about the things I should have done, but rather I want to make sure the message of this story is clear.

In no way do I want anyone to believe that "it's always the quiet ones" who cause the trouble. The kid you see sit alone at lunch probably just wants some peace and quiet and isn't plotting anything. Instead, I want you to know that things aren't always as they appear. You really don't know what's going on in someone's life.

There's a reason Sofie is more comfortable with Philip than Ariel. Yes, Ariel is kind to Sofie and more than generous, but she never picks up on the little things. She assumes giving Sofie the promotion and the gowns and the necklace and money meant she has nothing to worry about. But people with everything can grow depressed and commit suicide, too. Sometimes, the artificial things never matter at all.

Philip, on the other hand, is able to see the small things going on. He never assumes Sofie has a perfect life. Rather, he checks up on her to make sure she is making it through the rough things in her life. He lets her express her feelings without any backlash.

I think we can all agree Ariel is a little ambitious and a little overbearing. Though not her intention, I think her positive outlook and bubbliness might scare off a lonely person. When talking to someone depressed, you can't force them to be happy. Instead, as mean as it sounds, you need to let them suffer for a while; let them express their negative feelings, while keeping a close eye on them, like Philip. You can explain to them how one day things might get better, but too much positivity at once isn't always the best. I know sometimes too much of it doesn't help me. It only makes me feel worse.

But I guess in the end, Ariel is the wife of the son of the man who killed her father, and Sofie can never trust her. Sofie never did like Ariel, or, at least, her schizophrenia didn't like her.

I guess I'll leave you with this stereotypical message: be kind. An act of kindness can go a long way. It's the least you can do. It's what Ariel could manage to do in the end. Be aware that someone might be grumpy and down, not because they want to, but because they had a bad day or there's something going on behind closed doors. Be nice to them. It's all we can do as humans.

-Blue


End file.
